


a long journey (to you)

by fanmoose12



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Action & Romance, Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-25 07:21:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 55,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22052065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanmoose12/pseuds/fanmoose12
Summary: It was Levi's first assignment in a long two months. And, according to Erwin, it was supposed to be an easy one: he just needed to escort one Hange Zoe to New York from Berlin and make sure that she got there safely. It didn't sound difficult at all, but after Levi met Hange Zoe, he got a feeling that this mission would be a lot different than anything he had expected.
Relationships: Hange Zoë/Levi, Moblit Berner & Hange Zoë
Comments: 57
Kudos: 131





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So! another messy au from me! im pretty excited about it!!!  
> as always it's levihan, but with a lot mobuhan friendship - moblit is too precious and his relationship with hange is very dear to me :))  
> also, a little side note: i haven't proof read it so point out please if there are any mistakes :)  
> and of course! comments are much appreciated!!!

Levi was mindlessly scrolling through TV-channels. It was ten in the morning on a workday, so he found nothing interesting, except reruns of stupid reality shows or culinary programs. He was preoccupied with this for the last hour, just laying on his couch and constantly shifting between one dumb show or the other. He didn’t know what else to do – he didn’t feel like reading a book, his apartment had been cleaned more this last month that in all years he was living there and it was raining heavily since early morning, so he couldn’t even go for a jog. On top of that, during rainy days his leg was acting up more than usual, so he resigned himself to spending the whole day on a couch.

When he was on his fifth row of TV-channels, his phone began ringing. Levi took it in his hand, wondering who could be calling him. There were two options, really: it was either Erwin, who would ask him how his leg was doing and then ask how Levi _himself_ was doing, or it was Yeager, who would call and ask him if he could come over (Levi honestly didn’t see the point in Eren’s calling and asking – he showed up at his house no matter what Levi answered him or how many times he told him to fuck off). Levi looked at name of the caller and it was Erwin. He couldn’t decide if it was better than receiving a call from Eren. On one hand, it meant, that Eren and his friends wouldn’t be bothering him today. On the other hand, if Levi heard Erwin ask him how he was doing one more time, he would be _very_ tempted to smash his phone against the wall. Not mentioning, that he was _really_ bored today, and even though, Eren and his friends were annoying and sometimes too loud, he wouldn’t be _too opposed_ to their company. As he was sweeping his hand to accept the call, a brief thought crossed Levi’s mind. Maybe, Erwin was calling him to give him his new mission? Levi quickly dismissed it – it was two month since _that_ accident and Erwin refused to let Levi work ever since, ignoring him every time he asked to let him do at least _something_. Erwin was adamant, saying that Levi needed time to heal both physically and mentally. Which was total bullshit – his leg was doing fine two weeks after that mission and now only occasionally bothered him and as for his mental state? Well, Levi was always fucked up and he seriously doubted that two month of sitting alone at his apartment would change anything. Of course, Erwin wanted him to start the therapy sessions. Levi even agreed to that, thinking that it would help persuade Erwin into giving him a new mission sooner, but after a few sessions, he understood that it was a simple waste of his and doctor’s time – he spent his whole session just silently staring at the wall, refusing to talk and answering doctor’s questions only with monosyllables. Honestly, even Yeager’s visit helped him more, the brat was surely irritating and sometimes he brought his friends to Levi’s house, but at least it helped him to fight off the constant boredom.

Taking a deep sigh, Levi finally picked up the phone.

“If you are calling to ask how my leg is today or how am I doing, then I swear to God, Erwin, I will hang up and block your number.”

“It’s good to hear, that you’re in such a good mood today, Levi,” Erwin laughed. “And here I was calling to propose a new mission for you,” Levi perked up, hoping that Erwin wasn’t joking. “But I’ll understand if you’re still not ready…”

“Fuck _no_ ,” Levi practically growled. “I’m sick of sitting at home and watching stupid TV-shows. I’ll perform whatever shitty task you ask of me, Erwin, just give me something to do already, _please._ ”

Levi was sure that he sounded fucking pathetic, but what else could he do. He was desperate, he needed something to do to take his mind off other things, of things that happened _two months ago._

“Fine, fine,” Erwin replied, chuckling. “I’ve already sent the details on your email anyway.” Levi immediately got up and practically ran towards his laptop.

“I’m already checking it,” Levi said, turning on his laptop and opening his email.

“Good. Everything you need to know is in the letter and if you have any questions, you know, you can always call me.”

Levi grunted an affirmation and was ready to hang up, when he heard Erwin’s voice again.

“I was serious before, Levi,” his voice was concerned and Levi felt like an asshole for snapping at him earlier. Levi might have been fed up with being treated like a porcelain vase, but Erwin was his friend and he was truly worried for him. He should treasure it more; it wasn’t like he had a lot of friends after all. “If you feel like you’re not ready, I’ll understand and pass this mission onto someone else.”

“No,” Levi said, making an effort to keep his voice calm and free of annoyance. “I’m really fine, Erwin, you should stop worrying.” He took a deep breath, already feeling awkward because of the words he was going to say. He sucked at talking about his feeling, but he also knew, that sometimes, for your friends you needed to make _an effort._ “Thank you… for worrying about me. I may act like an asshole, because _I am an asshole_ , but, um, I appreciate your concern.”

“Wow, Levi, that was the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me,” Erwin said after some silence and Levi could hear that the bastard was trying to keep himself from laughing. “I’m deeply _moved_.” Erwin added and then he finally gave in and started laughing.

“Fuck off,” Levi said, hanging off to the sound of his friend’s laughter. Even so, a small smile appeared on his lips as well.

Laying his phone down, Levi finally concentrated on his new mission and the letter Erwin sent him. Erwin was his boss and also the head of their little group. Their organization, although Levi wasn’t sure he could call them that – officially they had no name and not many people knew about them and their activities. Levi wasn’t even sure where _exactly_ Erwin was taking new missions and clients for them. They were a kind of security agency and usually were called in to provide someone with safety. The missions could last for a considerate amount of time, but usually they took no more than two weeks. The member of their organization just needed to deliver their target to safety and then their job was finished, just as that was with Levi’s previous target, Eren Yeager. Although, after that mission, Eren decided to join them and was now training to become one of the agents. He even managed to sign up his childhood friends, Mikasa and Armin, to do the same. Their organization wasn’t big, it consisted only of ten or so people and all of them were professionals. Levi was one of the best – he was a quick thinker, remained calm even in the more dire situations and had an unusually great reflexes. 

He studied the information on his target that Erwin had sent him. The name was Hange Zoe and she was 31 years old. At such young age, she was already a professor at Humboldt University of Berlin and had PhDs in Cell Biology, Biochemistry and Toxicology. So, clearly a very intelligent woman. Levi wondered briefly, what had she done that now she needed protection. He read his mission’s goal and was surprised at its simplicity. Erwin must really be concerned about him, because all he needed to do was to make sure that professor Zoe traveled safely from Berlin to New York.

Then Levi noticed that Erwin also attached a photo of his target to the letter. He opened it and looked at Hange Zoe’s face. She had big round glasses and short brown hair that she put up in a ponytail. Her eyes were also brown, almost a match with her hair. A small smile was on her lips. Levi noticed that he was staring at the photo for too long, unable to tear his gaze away. He shook his head, a little annoyed at himself – it was just his new assignment and he hasn’t even met her, why was he so bothered already? He quickly closed the letter and turned off his computer, but it was still hard to get Hange Zoe’s eyes out of his mind.

Two days later, Levi was standing at the entrance of a small, cozy-looking Berlin café, where he was supposed to meet Hange Zoe. He looked inside the café, searching for the woman he had seen in a photo. As it turned out, he didn’t need to search for long – just a second after he stepped inside he heard a loud boisterous laugh. Turning his head to the source of that sound, he was met with warm brown eyes of Hange Zoe. She looked just like she did in the photo – big round glasses and a brown hair in ponytail. Still, seeing her in person, even if he was at the other end of the café, felt different. She looked the same, yet she was more vivid, more _alive_. She was wearing a deep green suit and white shirt. A moment later Hange also noticed him and began waving her hand, beckoning him to come closer. Only when he was near the table, where Professor Zoe sat, he noticed that someone else was already sitting there. It was a man, probably a little younger than Hange. He had chestnut hair, dark green eyes and was dressed in brown pants and blue shirt. He was staring at Levi, distrust clearly written in his gaze. Levi briefly wondered, who the man was and what was his deal. Wasn’t Hange supposed to come alone? However, his thoughts were quickly interrupted as his new assignment, Hange Zoe, took his hand into hers to give him a handshake.

“You’re agent Levi, right?” she asked, smiling. Levi cringed at the title “ _agent”,_ which made it sound like he was some kind of cool secret operative, while in reality, he was just a guy who was paid to watch over people’s safety. Hange Zoe didn’t seem to sense his displeasure, because she continued to talk, a smile never leaving her face. “I’m Hange Zoe, although you can call me Hange. You know, your boss told me you were his most efficient subordinate, so I imagined you would be, well, a little _taller_?”

Levi gritted his teeth, freeing his hand from woman’s hold immediately. Although, he was the one to break the handshake, he felt somewhat regretful because of that. The woman’s hand was warm and she was holding his hand in a gentle grasp. However, Levi was still annoyed with her, he _hated_ jokes about his height.

“Well, I’ve imagined you a little different, too” he retorted. “I thought you wouldn’t be so annoying.”

His reply was rude and he was being an asshole, _he knew it_ , he knew it was no way to talk to his assignment, but he still couldn’t stop himself. However, the woman didn’t seem to be all that offended, if her delightful laugh was anything to judge by. Anyone else would probably be hurt or angered at such retort, but as Levi was quickly learning, Hange Zoe was a little different from most people.

“So, you’re saying you’ve already fantasied about me?” she said, after her laughter had subdued. She looked directly into Levi’s eyes and her voice turned deep and a little husky. Levi could feel his mind go blank, as he scrambled to think of something to say to save at least the remnants of his dignity. He also found himself unable to stop staring into Hange’s eyes.

“Don’t be _absurd_ ,” he managed finally. He hid his face, hoping that the woman didn’t notice the blush, that was spreading onto his cheeks. His words made her laugh again and she threw her head back, clearly enjoying herself. Her neck was now exposed and this time Levi tried very hard not to stare. He quickly averted his eyes and was met with dissatisfied stare of a man Hange came with.

“Who is that?” he asked Hange, sitting across the man. 

The woman clasped her hands joyfully and came to stand behind the man. She laid her hands on his shoulders and squeezed them affectionately.

“That’s Moblit Berner! My assistant and best friend!” The man, Moblit, smiled at her words and squeezed her hand in return. “Unfortunately,” Hange continued. “He’s also very _stubborn_ and refuses to let me go to New York without him. It won’t be too much trouble for you if he goes?”

Levi was a little shocked at her revelation, he didn’t anticipate a second person to come with them. He opened his mouth to say exactly that, but was quickly cut off by Hange.

“Let me rephrase it,” she said and Levi heard a dangerous edge in her voice. She still had her hands on Moblit’s shoulders, but she managed to look intimidating all the same. Levi was honestly impressed. Usually, when people tried to scare him, it just earned them a rude retort or a punch in a face. But this woman… she made Levi listen to her. “I may not like the idea of him going,” she continued. “But if he decided so, then I won’t hold him back. If you have any problem with that, then I need a new agent assigned to me.” 

“It’s fine.” He grumbled. “A second person wouldn’t make such a difference.”

That big and warm smile appeared on Hange’s face once again. She sat down near Levi, wrapping her hand around his shoulders and bringing him closer to her chest.

“I knew you would agree!”

Levi cursed and tried to get away from the annoying warmth of her body. However, Hange’s grip was stronger than he thought. She looked at his struggling, winked and then released him. Levi definitely did _not_ blush _._ Then he looked to the side and saw that there were two suitcases on the floor next to their table.

“You are ready to go?” he asked, pointing at the suitcases with his chin. After getting affirmation from both Hange and Moblit, he took out his phone to book all of them a plane ticket.

“There is one issue, though,” Levi looked up from his phone to see Moblit, who was obviously nervous. He avoided looking at Levi and was staring at the table. “I’m, um, afraid of flying.”

Levi couldn’t believe it – was the man serious? He felt annoyance stir up inside him, but before he could say anything, Moblit raised his hands in a placating gesture and continued.

“I’ve found a ship, which would take us to New York. We need to go to London first and then the ship is going to stop at Reykjavik and the whole journey would probably last more than two weeks, but it is much safer than on a plane!”

“Great work!” Hange clasped Moblit on the back. Levi noticed that he slightly winced but didn’t complain and smiled at Hange. “I agree with Moblit’s plan,” Hange announced, turning his attention to Levi. “Do _you_?” She had a look in her eyes, as though she was challenging Levi. To what exactly he didn’t know, but he was never the one to give up a fight.

“I need to ask Erwin first,” he said, staring right back at Hange. She looked closely at him as though, as though she was _studying_ him. He didn’t particularly like that look, it remained him too much of Erwin – he too often stared at people like that. Inwardly cursing, Levi tore his eyes away from Hange’s and got up to go and call his boss.

“Levi? Is there some problem?”

“Kinda. Our professor brought a friend with her. And said that she wouldn’t go without him.”

“Huh,” Erwin chuckled. “That’s unexpected. However, I spoke with Professor Zoe a few times and she managed to strike me as a _unique_ person,” and Levi couldn’t agree more with that sentiment. Although, he wouldn’t describe her as unique, but rather as _slightly_ crazy _._ “Did you agree to her request?”

“I did. But it turned out, that her assistant is afraid of planes, so they came up with another route. They want to travel by _sea._ Erwin, it would take weeks!”

“Well, I’d understand if you don’t want this mission anymore,” Erwin said slowly, _carefully._ “It is a surprising turn of events and I can always ask someone else to do it or, you know, I can always do it myself. I haven’t been on missions for so long.Maybe I really should take the mission, I've always wanted to travel by sea an-”

“Don’t give me that bullshit,” Levi cut him off almost angrily. “I agreed to this mission and I _will_ finish it. If that weirdo wants to go by sea and spend weeks in the middle of nowhere, then fuck it. I’ll do it.”

“Oh, good. Good luck then. Call me if you need anything.”

Levi nodded and then remembered that right, Erwin couldn’t see him do it on a phone, so he grumbled something that Erwin would probably understand as his affirmation and ended the call. He slowly walked back into café, where Hange and Moblit were busy discussing something in hush tones. They stopped the moment Hange noticed him. She turned around to face him and asked.

“How was your conversation?”

“Get your shit ready. We need to hurry if we want to catch a train to London today.”

“Yahoo!” Hange loudly exclaimed. Several other customers looked at her in bewilderment but she paid no attention to it. She raised her hand to Moblit and he high-fived her. He also wore a smile on his face, although his wasn’t even half as big or as crazy as the on Hange’s face. Then, with her hand still raised up in the air, she turned back to Levi. When Levi just continued looking at her unimpressively, she whined. “C’mon! Don’t leave me hanging!”

With a grunt of displeasure, Levi caved in and hit his hand against his. He didn’t know it was possible, but Hange smile grew even wider. Levi rolled his eyes, but a part of him, a _very small_ part was secretly enjoying Hange’s smile. She might be a crazy weirdo, who already has caused him too much trouble in the first ten minutes since he met her, but her big goofy smile wasn’t so _bad_ and it made her face glow and her eyes sparkle, and he did that to her, she smiled at _him_ and… and he really needed to stop thinking about Hange’s smile or Hange’s _whatever._ The hell was even happening to him?

Two hours later, Levi, Hange and Moblit were sitting in a compartment on the train headed to London. Levi was staring out of the window, while Hange was busy writing down in her journal. She occasionally leaned over to Moblit, showing him her notes.

“What are you doing?” Levi asked after an hour and a half of their ride. However, Hange did not answer him and so he repeated his questions. Only this time much louder and he punctuated it with a light kick to her sheen. 

“Oi, no need for physical violence,” Hange replied, caressing the place, where Levi had kicked her. “Did you ask something?”

Levi barely resisted the urge to kick her again.

“ _Yes,_ I asked what are you doing?”

“Oh, I’m just writing some ideas for my new thesis. Wanna hear?”

“Eh, _no_.” Levi wasn’t too curious about science stuff and he got a feeling that he probably wouldn’t understand half of the words that Hange would say to him.

“Well, you aren’t losing too much. I probably wouldn’t finish it anyways.” Hange’s voice was regretful, almost _sad._ Levi wanted to ask about this, but then he caught Moblit’s gaze. He was staring at him with the same distrustful and angry look from earlier. Levi silently turned back to the window, deciding not to involve himself into whatever was going on. He shouldn’t care what is going on in Hange’s head anyway, his mission’s priority was her safety, not her emotional state. For that kind of shit, she had her assistant.

Half an hour later, Hange laid down her journal and got up from her seat, stretching.

“Can I sit next to you?” She asked Levi.

“What’s wrong with your sit?”

“I want to read, but it’s getting darker and the lighting on your side seems better.” Levi looked up at her, trying to see if she was fucking with him. However, Hange wasn’t looking particularly mischievous, in fact, she looked rather tired and still a little sad. Levi wordlessly scooted over, making a room for her to sit comfortably. He hated it, but he did feel a little guilty, thinking that his stupid question was the cause for her state. Hange thanked with a nod and a small smile. She sat down, opened her book and began reading. Levi discreetly stole a glance at the cover and read the annotation. He thought that professor at the one of the best Berlin universities and a woman with three PhDs would read something more… _sophisticated._ Instead, she was reading some book about romance between a vampire and an alien? At least, it looked like it was about that. The cover, and probably the book itself, was ridiculous. However, it seemed fitting for Hange. She also was somewhat ridiculous, but at the same time also clearly very intelligent and smart. The woman herself was a clash of opposites and contrasts. Levi might not know her for long, a little more than five hours, to be exact, but he already felt intrigued by her. He wondered once again, what she had done and why did she need to protected? What was she going to do in New York? Levi wanted to ask, but then he remembered her assistant’s cold attitude towards him. He doubted, Hange would reveal a lot in his presence.

Overall, he was actually looking forward to travelling with her for the next few weeks. He wanted to know more about her, to at least try to unravel the enigma of Hange Zoe. 

Levi was broken out of his thoughts, when something touched his shoulder. He looked to the side and saw, that Hange had fallen asleep, her book laid forgotten in her lap. Levi felt his lips curl into a small smile as he shifted slightly to make it more comfortable for her. He was sure in one thing: boredom wouldn’t bother him much during this mission.


	2. Chapter 2

They arrived at London late at night. Hange, Moblit and Levi found the closest hotel to rent themselves a room. Tomorrow they would get aboard Moblit's promised ship, but they needed some place to spend the night. After arriving at the hotel and speaking with a woman at reception, a short argument had started. There were only two available rooms - the one with two beds and the one with only one. Levi stated that he obviously should take the room with Hange, he was supposed to keep her safe after all. Moblit had disagreed, he didn't trust Levi with Hange's safety and although, he didn't say that to Levi's face, he made it painfully clear with his tone of voice. They would probably have continued to argue ‘till morning, if it wasn't for Hange.

"Would you stop already?" She said, tiredly rubbing her face. "If you want to continue arguing, then take the room with two beds and do it there." Both men felt somewhat ashamed, Hange was right, they were acting like children. Seeing that her little speech worked, Hange took her suitcase and started towards their rooms. Moblit and Levi hurried after her.

"Our rooms are on the same floor, so if anything happens, you'd probably hear it, Levi. So I'll take the room with Moblit, if it would make him feel better. Do you agree?"

Hange turned to look at them. Moblit had a small satisfied smile on his face, while Levi nodded, rolling his eyes.

"That's settled then!" Hange said loudly as she began to open the door to her room. She let Moblit go first and then waved at Levi. "Goodnight, agent!" she winked at him and then closed the door.  
  
  


The next morning, Levi woke up much later than usual. It was almost ten when he finally opened his eyes and decided to get out of the bed. He took a quick shower, brushed his teeth and got dressed. He wanted to check on Hange and was already opening his door to do so. He was surprised to see that Hange was standing just outside his room, her fist raised in the air.

"Oh?" Hange looked surprised. "How did you know that I'm here? I didn't even knock!"

"I was going out to check on you," rolled his eyes Levi.

"Ah, and I thought that it was some secret technique of yours," for a moment Hange looked disappointed as if she, scientist and professor, really thought that he had some mysterious ability that enabled him to sense people behind closed doors. Levi once again thought that Hange Zoe was very weird person.

"Anyways!" A smile appeared on Hange's face. "I was going to ask you if you want to go out. I haven't been in London in a really long time and want to take a walk, but Moblit went to meet his friend and I didn't want to be a third wheel."

"You want to go out with me?" He asked, confused. Hange was talking way too fast for a person who hasn't completely woken up.

"Oh _, agent_ ," Hange began with a sly smile. "Maybe we should get to know each other better first?"

It took Levi a second to understand what she had meant. Then it dawned on him and he felt his cheeks burn.

"It wasn't what I meant and _you know_ _it_!" Hange began laughing and Levi felt even more stupid than before.

"I'm sorry, sorry!" She exclaimed. "It's just so fun to mess with you, you should have seen your face!"

Levi felt his eyes twitch in annoyance.

"I won't do it again, I promise."

Levi looked closely at her, checking if her words were true. She seemed sincere enough, so he decided to accept her apology. He took the door handle and turned around.

"Be ready in five minutes," he threw behind his back and then closed the door. He heard a snort from Hange, followed by loud "aye, aye, Captain!" and then finally the sound of her retreating footsteps.  
Levi leaned against the door, signing. He felt like another very long day was waiting for him.  
  
  
The weather was fairly nice when they arrived to a park near their hotel. Well, the weather was nice for London. Sun was shining only periodically, but it wasn't raining and it was warm enough to wear only light jacket. Levi was dressed the same as yesterday – in black pants and jacket with dark blue shirt. Hange changed into tight jeans and green hoodie. She was leading the way, walking energetically with her hands in pockets of her slightly oversized hoodie.

"So," she began, looking at Levi. "Tell me about yourself."

"Huh?" It was definitely a question he didn't expect. Besides, what could he answer? He doubted his life story would be interesting for someone like Hange.

"I want to know about you! We are going to be travelling together for some time after all."

"What do you want to know then?"

"Hm," Hange tapped her chin with a fingertip. "Let's start with something simple: what's your favorite color?"

"My favorite color?" What kind of question was that?

"Yeah, what is it? Mine is green!" There was a wide grin on Hange's face. The question was stupid, childish even, but Levi was once again surprised at how much Hange was different from everyone else he knew.

"I don't have any, since I'm not a child anymore."

"Huh," Hange cocked her head to the side and studied him for a moment. "Could have fooled me. With your height and all."

Levi gritted his teeth. She was so damn annoying.

"Fine!" Hange said, sensing Levi's irritation. "Next question then! Do you have someone?"

"Someone?"

"A girlfriend?"

Levi couldn't believe her.

"No."

"Boyfriend?"

“ _No._ "

"A partner then?"

" _No!_ "

"So you're single. Can't say I'm surprised."

"What does that supposed to mean?"

"Well," Hange waved her hands in the air. "You just don't seem to be the person who... engages in relationships? You don't have the face for it."

Levi didn't think he wanted to know, but he asked anyway.

"A face?"

"Yeah, you're a bit grumpy. Sometimes angry too. It's hard to make love dovey eyes with a face like that."

"You're so fucking weird."

"Mm, I've been told that. Not once too."

"Wow, now that's a surprise."

"Oi, don't be like that," Hange bumped her shoulder with his. "Time for next question! Your friends? Tell me about them!"

"What makes you think I have friends?"

Hange made a face at his reply.

"Everyone has friends! Even short grumps like you!"

Levi sent her a look, silently telling her what exactly he thinks about "short grump". Hange wasn't fazed by it, though, and just continued grinning at him. Levi guessed, he had no choice but to answer her.

"You've talked with my boss, Erwin. So you already know about him."

"Friends with your boss? That's depressing."

"Says a person, whose best friend is her assistant."

" _Touche_."

It was silent for a few moments and Levi was already starting to think that his torture has ended. A few moments later, though, Hange again nudged her shoulder with his.

"Do you have any other friends?"

Levi thought about _them_ , who he had lost two months ago, but he wasn't going to tell Hange about them. It was too personal and _painful_ for a conversation with practically stranger.

"There is a guy, a kid really," Levi began tentatively. He glanced at Hange and she was looking back at him, curiosity written all over her face. "He was assignment, just like you. The whole mission was one big mess and I guess I kinda ended up saving his ass. And now, this brat thinks he needs to repay me or something. So, he comes to my place twice a week to clean and cook for me. And he brings _his friends_ with him."

Hange squealed and clasped her hands, utterly delighted by Levi's tale.

"Tell me more!" She demanded. "What are his friends like?"

"There are two of them - Armin and Mikasa. Armin is quiet and polite, a _nice kid_ , but Mikasa is a fucking brat."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"She hates me, that's why. I'm sure that the only reason why she visits me is to make sure that I won't harm her precious friends."

"You seem rather fond of them," Hange commented quietly. Levi opened his mouth, ready to throw some rude retort about Hange's state of mind. Obviously, he didn't feel anything towards those brats, hasn't she heard him? They were _annoying_. But he stopped when he saw Hange's face. She was smiling, but it was a different smile - not her usual mischievous or teasing one, but kinder, _gentler_. Levi remembered where he saw that smile before - Hange wore the same fond and sincere expression when she announced that Moblit was her best friend. Levi felt something stir up in his chest upon that realization, something that he thought he had buried two months ago. A feeling that sometimes appeared when he was watching Eren and his friends laughing in his kitchen or when he was sitting with his shoulder slumped against Erwin's after they drank a little too much. It was _friendship_. Levi wanted to deny it, he had known Hange for a little more than a day, it wasn't possible to make a friend so fast. He wanted to ignore it, but he couldn't stop the warmness that spread inside him at the sight of Hange's smile.

"Shut up," he finally replied, which was very eloquent and _totally not embarrassing_.

Hange laughed and extended her hand to ruffle his hair. That was so unexpected that Levi wasn't quick enough to duck away. Or maybe, he simply _didn't want to_.

They walked for a few more minutes before Hange grabbed Levi's hand and dragged him down to one of the benches.

"Let's sit for a while? My feet are a little tired."

Levi nodded and sat next to her. He actually felt thankful, his knee was starting to hurt.

It was silent. Hange was watching the birds jumping around the park. Levi alternated between looking at the clouds and looking at Hange. The silence between them was comfortable, and Levi was a man who enjoyed silence a lot, so he surprised even himself when he was the one to break it.

"That's it?" He asked Hange. "You don't have questions anymore?"

Hange lazily shook her head, her gaze still fixed on the birds.

"I can think of something else if you'd like. Or," she turned to look at him. "You can ask me something."

Levi thought about it. It was true, there were some questions he wanted to know the answers for. For example, why did Hange need someone to protect her and what was she going to do in America. Or why she reacted so strangely when he had asked about her thesis. However, he had feeling that those questions would definitely break today's mood and he wasn't keen on doing it. So he asked the first question that came to his mind.

"Are you single?"

"Why, agent Levi," Hange's voice turned into that husky, deep tone. "Are you trying to make a move on me?"

Levi was positive that he had gone crimson read. Hange's delighted laughter was only further proving his deduction.

" _Shut up_ ," he said and immediately mentally punched himself. _Another_ cool and witty remark from him. "You asked me the same thing!"

"I was just trying to get to know you better, not hit on you!" Hange was still laughing, damn her. "But to answer your question, yes, I am single. You don't have to worry."

"In your _dreams_ , four eyes."

It got quiet again. Levi relaxed against the bench, he would never say it, of course, but… he was enjoying Hange’s company. She was annoying and too cocky, however Levi couldn’t remember the last time he had so much fun talking to someone.

“What about _your_ friends?” he asked. “Are they all as crazy as you?”

“Well, you’ve seen Moblit. Does he look crazy to you?”

“No,” Levi scoffed. “Although, the guy seems like he fucking hates me.”

“Don’t take it personally. He’s just, um, overprotective? He doesn’t hate you, he just… doesn’t particularly like you. No offence.”

“Yeah, none taken. I think, I understand actually. He’s like the girl I’ve told you about, Mikasa. Doesn’t want his friends to get hurt.”

“Yes!” Hange clasped him on the back. “You get it!”

Yes, Levi thought to himself. He really did _get it_.

“What about your other friends?”

“Oh, they’re also coworkers of mine. My science team – Nifa, Keji and Googles!” Hange proclaimed with a proud smile. “They are the best – smart, resourceful and reliable. I would never get where I am now without them.”

“They sound like great guys.”

“Hmm, they truly are,” Hange said and her voice became sad again. Levi wanted to ask her about it, already opened his mouth to do so, but was disrupted by the sudden sound of Hange’s ringtone.

“Oh, it’s Moblit!” she said and accepted the call. Levi watched as she was nodding along to something Moblit was saying, occasionally adding ‘yes’ or ‘no’ or ‘great!’. After a minute or so, she ended the call and quickly got up from the bench. “Let’s go, Moblit says that the ship is ready.”

When they arrived, Levi wasn’t sure that Moblit gave Hange the right address. Sure, they were at the port but the ship they were standing in front off… Levi didn’t know if he could even call it _that_. For starters, he imagined a ship to be much bigger, but instead he was looking at something only a little larger that a yacht. It also looked old, rusty and with paint falling off. On the side he could read the name of the ship. Sea Splash it said, although Levi wasn’t be sure he read that right, because a few letters were missing.

“Is that supposed to get us to America?” he asked, eyeing the Sea Splash with distrust and disgust.

“Looks like it!” Hange answered excitingly. “Let’s find Moblit! Oh, and we should probably meet with our captain!”

Levi dreaded that meeting, he could only imagine what a captain may look like with a ship like that. A second later, a door opened and Moblit walked out to them. Behind him was a large blond man. He came to stand in front of Hange and Levi.

“It’s Mike Zacharius,” Moblit introduced him. “He will be our captain.”

“Nice to meet you!” Hange came closer and shook his hand energetically. “I’m Hange and this grump over here is Levi.”

Mike nodded and turned around, returning back to his ship. Well, he didn’t seem that talkative, Levi thought with a bit of satisfaction. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be the only person on this journey, who enjoys silence.

“I am waiting for my crewmen to arrive,” Mike spoke as they entered the ship. His voice was gruff and deep. “They should be here soon. Meanwhile you make yourselves comfortable. There are two cabins – one for me and my crewmembers and another one for you. We will be stopping in Reykjavik the following week. If you have any other question, I’ll answer them.”

“Can I stand near while you’ll be steering?” Hange asked as she thrusted her suitcase to Moblit and followed Mike. “Or better yet – can I steer for a little bit?”

Mike grinned at her, gesturing with his hand for Hange to follow him.

“Of course, you can,” he said to Hange. “If you are a fast learner.”

Hange squealed with delight and the two of them disappeared in the captain’s cabin. Levi opened the door to his cabin, bringing his suitcase with him. Moblit followed after him. Levi closed the door behind him, entered and looked around the room. It was more spacious than he imagined and there were three beds inside. He sat down onto one of them. Even here, behind a closed door he could still hear Hange’s excited voice that from time to time was interrupted by Mike’s. Levi hid his face with a hand and took a deep sign. He hoped that Hange’s steering wouldn’t lead to them crashing into some rock and then drowning in the deep cold sea. He would _hate_ to die like this.


	3. Сalm Sightseeing

Half an hour into their journey found Moblit vomiting straight into the sea. It turned out, that apart from not being able to handle travelling by plane, sea journeys weren't too friendly to him as well. When he finished emptying his stomach, Hange hurried him into the cabin, where she laid him down. She brought a cloth and asked Mike for a bowl of cold water. She laid the wet cloth on Moblit's forehead and sat next to him on the bed, keeping him company and entertaining with conversation. Levi was quietly watching them from his own bed until suddenly his head began to spin viciously. He felt the wave of dizziness and got up, running out of the cabin. Just as he got outside and reached the railing, he, just as Moblit sometime ago, emptied his stomach into the sea. A few moments later, he felt someone's hand gently patting his back. He turned his head and saw Hange. She was sympathetically smiling at him.

"Guess, I have another patient to look after?" She asked. Levi wanted to throw some rude retort her way, obviously he was _fine_ , but then he felt another wave of sickness and turned away, vomiting again. When he was finished, Hange handed him a handkerchief and a bottle of water and then lead him back into the cabin.

There she laid him on the bed near Moblit, who was already peacefully asleep. Hange put a blanket over Levi and attempted to tuck him in only to receive a murderous glare in response.

"Fine, fine," Hange laughed, rising her hands in a placating gesture. "But you do need to rest. I'll be there if you need me."

Levi spent that day in bed alongside Moblit. Hange was beside both of them, making sure they had everything they needed. Only in the evening of next day, Levi felt confident enough to walk outside. Moblit was already there, sitting on the deck and writing something in his journal. He looked much better than yesterday, but still a little pale. Levi walked closer to him and saw, that the man wasn't writing, but instead sketching a sunset. Levi wasn't much of an art enthusiast but he liked Moblit's sketch. The drawing was even, it was evident that Moblit's hand was skillful and confident.

"Didn't know you were an artist as well as a scientist." Levi said as he sat next to him.

Moblit looked up, startled as he didn't hear Levi's approaching.

"Oh, that's nothing," he replied shyly after a moment. "Just a doodle."

"Well, that's way better, than anything I can come up with." Levi usually wasn't the most talkative person but Moblit was so distrustful towards him, that he decided to make some effort and become more civil with him. "Can I see more?" He asked, nodding towards Moblit's sketchbook. Moblit hesitated for a moment, searching Levi's face, as though to make sure that he wasn't making fun of him, but then handed the sketchbook.

Levi opened it carefully and began shifting through. Moblit's drawings consisted mostly of landscapes but there were people too (and sometimes even animals - Levi saw a drawing of the fattest cat he had ever laid his eyes on). The most recurring, though, were the drawings of Hange and three other people - a woman with short hair and two men, one of which wore glasses. Levi guessed they were the research team Hange had told him about. The last page before Moblit's sketch of the sunset was of Hange. It was bigger than the rest portraits and took the whole page. It showed Hange, who was staring right ahead. She was laughing about something and Moblit translated it so well onto the paper that Levi could almost hear the sound of her laugh. Levi gently touched the page, unable to tear his eyes away from the drawing.

"You did good on this one," he told Moblit quietly.

"You think?" Moblit scratched his neck. "I was trying to draw Hange ever since I've found out that she's going away. I wanted something to remember her by."

Levi was surprised to hear that Moblit's voice had become sad. Once again, he wondered for what purpose exactly Hange needed to go to America. He glanced at Moblit and the other man was staring at Hange's portrait with a wistful smile on his face.

"Well, you managed to capture Hange's spirit good enough. I could almost hear her laugh," Levi added with a small smile.

Moblit looked at him. His gaze was thoughtful, almost calculating. Levi returned him the sketchbook and quickly got up. For some reason, he felt incredibly embarrassed right now, like he showed Moblit something, that he shouldn't have.

When he was entering the cabin, however, Levi stumbled into Hange. He didn't notice her and crashed right into her chest. That made him lose his balance and Hange carefully studied him with a hand on his shoulder. When Levi raised his eyes to Hange's, he saw that she was looking worriedly at him. Levi felt even more embarrassed than after his talk with Moblit (or _whatever_ that was).

"Watch where you're going, four eyes," he muttered angrily, as he walked past her.

Fortunately, Hange didn't follow after him.

After Moblit and Levi got better, they met the rest of the crew. They were decent (by Levi standards) - Nanaba was a calm blond woman who helped Mike in handling the ship and Gelgar, another member of the crew, was their cook. He wasn't as nice as Nanaba and Levi often saw him laughing boisterously with either Mike (although captain's laugh wasn't as loud or as joyous as his subordinate's) or with Hange, whose laugh was not only very loud but also very _annoying_ for the reasons Levi didn't like to think about. Gelgar also tried to tell Levi a few of his jokes, but he stopped when he saw the unimpressed and irritated look on Levi's face. Another reason why Levi didn't like him was that he seemed to be perpetually reeking of alcohol. However, Gelgar did his job good and the meals he cooked for them were beyond delicious.

Mike was true on his word and was indeed teaching Hange how to steer. Hange herself was beyond happy because of that, if her delighted squels were anything to judge by.

The day Hange spent beside Mike and Moblit spent it beside Hange. Levi alternated between reading the book in the cabin and watching the sea from the deck. The sea calmed him and from that position, he could perfectly hear (or sometimes witness) all of Hange's antics. Surprisingly, they didn't irritate him but instead amused.

That was during the day, in the evenings all of them gathered together on the ship deck to play a game of cards. And, truth be told, Levi kind of enjoyed their games. Almost everyone was good at it (perhaps besides Moblit, the man clearly showed when he had the bad hand, and Gelgar always tried to cheat but was terribly bad at it). Mike was stoically calm, and so was Nanaba, which made it pretty hard for Levi to guess what cards they held. Hange was, of course, a completely different story. She wasn't calm at all, and she seemingly didn't know what a pokerface was. She was rather smiling or giggling no matter what cards she had. It was no surprise, really, that she was Levi's toughest opponent.

After several games of cards they usually went to bed. Levi had trouble sleeping and on his second night on the ship he found out that he wasn't alone in that. He spent that night drifting in and out of sleep. At approximately two o'clock he looked to the left, where Hange was supposed to be sleeping and found her bed empty. Quietly and carefully, trying not to wake up poor Moblit, he got up from his own bed and went out of the cabin. He found Hange outside, sitting on the deck and looking at the vast sea around her. Levi looked up and saw Nanaba in the captain's cabin, sleeping in a chair near the wheel. Levi made his way towards Hange. He didn't come up to her silently, not wanting to scare her, but Hange nevertheless didn't seem to notice him, too absorbed in whatever that was going through her head.

"Oh!" Hange jumped slightly when she finally noticed him standing a few meters away from her. "I haven't heard you coming."

"You were thinking too loudly." Levi said, as he sat next to her.

"Heh," Hange chuckled. "You're probably right."

A comfortable silence enveloped both of them, as they stared into the horizon.

"Can't sleep?" Hange asked after some time. "Or were you afraid that I would jump off a ship?"

"Why would I even think about that? I believe you're not that stupid."

"Wow, easy up on the compliments," Hange laughed.

"It wasn't a compliment, four eyes, I was just stating the facts."

"Four eyes, huh?" Hange repeated, chuckling. "I think, I haven't been called that since I was eleven."

" _Eleven_?" Levi asked incredulously. "Since when do you wear your glasses?"

"Mm," Hange thought for a while, tapping her chin. "Since I was six, I think?"

Levi stared at her, dumbfounded.

"And how shitty is your eyesight now?"

Instead of an answer, Hange took off her glasses and placed them onto Levi's face. And, _fuck_ , apparently she was fucking blind because everything was blurry and Levi couldn't see shit.

"What you see now," Hange explained as she watched his pained expression with an amused smile. "Is approximately what I see without glasses. More or less."

"Jesus Christ," Levi took off Hange's glasses and was ready to hand them over to Hange, but then moonlight caught one of lenses and Levi noticed another thing: they were _extremely_ dirty. Seeing Levi's reluctance, Hange reached with her hand towards glasses, but Levi slapped her hand away and took out his handkerchief.

"Your glasses are fucking filthy, Hange," he said as he started viciously cleaning them. "You're not getting them back until I finish cleaning them."

"If you insist," Hange replied, chuckling. She leaned back until her back was resting comfortably against the ship wall. This movement also brought her shoulder closer to Levi's. He didn't move away, though, finding the warmth of her body oddly comforting.

Hange patiently waited until Levi was satisfied with the state of her glasses. When he was finally finished, she again reached for them, however Levi once again slapped her hand away. Instead, he got up to face Hange and slowly put the glasses onto her face. Hange was looking at him with a mix of confusion and shyness. She didn't break eye contact with him, though, and Levi didn't look away from her as well.

"There," he said finally. His voice was far softer than he intended, but surprisingly Levi didn't particularly care about that. He then returned to his place, right next to Hange.

It was silent for a long moment, until Levi gently bumped his shoulder against Hange's.

"Tell me something."

"What exactly?"

"Whatever you want."

And so, Hange did, beginning her tale of everything and nothing.

After that night, a weird sort of routine began. Every night Levi would come up to the deck and every night Hange would be there, silently watching the stars. Levi would sit next to her, so close that their shoulders were touching. He would bump his shoulder against hers and Hange would begin telling him something. She told him about her work at university and how much she liked teaching kids and being able to share her ideas with them. She shared some stories about her research team and the experiments they conducted together. She spoke of her family - apparently, her father was an asshole, but her mother was an angel and she loved her dearly. She also had two siblings: a sister and a brother. She didn't get on with her older sister well, because they were too different, but she adored her little brother immensely. She talked about her cat, whose name was Machiavelli, because that was Hange's favourite philosopher. She showed him a picture of the cat and Levi recognized the cat from Moblit's drawing. Levi told her then, that he had never seen a cat fatter than him. Hange replied that she _knew_ her cat was fat, but he was so _cute_ and she just couldn't say no to him.

They usually talked like that until the early rays of sunshine began appearing on the vast horizon. Well, Levi himself didn't talk much, only occasionally asking something or offering some comment, but he listened to Hange intently. He liked the sound of her voice - in the dead of the night Hange's usually loud and energetic voice turned soft, almost southing. Levi didn't show it but he enjoyed spending time like that. He liked staring at the bright stars above him or the dark sea around and listening as Hange's voice mixed with the soft and relaxing sound of the waves hitting against Sea Splash. Sitting like that, Levi got a feeling as though he and Hange were the only people in the world. For some reason, he liked the idea.

Sometimes, when Hange was too focused on her story or the memory it brought her, Levi watched her. He was careful to make sure that Hange didn't catch him on that, of course. However, looking at her, Levi had to admit that even stars, bright and shining as they were, didn't compare to the light that illuminated from Hange's eyes.

One time, though, Hange felt asleep right in the middle of her story. One moment she was retelling the story of how one of her students tried to cheat on a test and the second her head hit Levi's shoulder and she began snoring quietly. For a moment, Levi just looked at her with a mix of exasperation and fondness. Then he got up and carefully, so as not stir her up too much and wake up, he picked Hange up. Hange was heavier than he expected, but Levi was also stronger than he looked.

An obstacle appeared when Levi reached the door to their cabin. It was shut close and Levi couldn't think of a way to open it without dropping Hange or waking up Moblit, who slept there. In the end, he decided to take his chances and tried to kick the door with his leg as carefully and quietly as possible. However, he didn't succeed and when he finally entered the dark room with still sleeping Hange, he was met with Moblit's confused and sleepy stare. Levi pointed towards Hange with his chin, trying to wordlessly tell Moblit to keep quiet. Moblit seemed to understand him and didn't say a word.

Levi gently laid Hange on the bed. He then took her foot in his hand and started taking off her shoes. Next Levi took off her hoodie, leaving Hange in a t-shirt and pants. Finally, he put a blanket over her and took off her glasses. He watched her sleeping, peaceful face for a few moments and then turned away from her and got up.

Moblit was still watching him. Now, though, he was more awake and his gaze wasn't confused anymore. No, it was the same thoughtful look he gave Levi, when Levi had complimented his drawing of Hange. Moblit looked at him, as though he knew something, or at least suspected something. Something that Levi himself didn't know yet, or maybe tried _very hard_ not to notice. Whatever it was, Levi decided once again to ignore it and headed to his bed, planning on getting at least a few hours of sleep. Just as his head hit the pillow, he heard Moblit's voice, quiet and soft.

"Thank you."

Levi didn't know what to answer to that, wasn't even sure that Moblit had said anything, because when he looked at him again, the other man seemed to be already asleep.

However, Levi still couldn't fall asleep easily. He kept thinking about the mission Erwin had assigned him with. How it was anything he had expected. Firstly, Levi expected much more action. Thought he would be fighting bad guys right and left, protecting Hange with everything he had like he did with Yeager. Instead, he was surprised that no one was actually trying to hurt Hange in any way. Levi kept a close eyes on his surroundings in both Berlin and London, looking for anyone suspicious who might be following them. However, he found no one.

He had two possible explanations for that. His first guess was that maybe Moblit’s route had indeed proved to be useful and whatever tail had been following Hange, simply couldn’t keep up with them. His second guess, however, was more simple – Hange was just an ordinary professor, who was going abroad for a new job and there was no one who wanted to harm her. Witnessing, how much Moblit seemed to care about Hange’s safety, Levi theorized that the man hired him just to make sure that Hange got safely to her destination. Although, that begged another question: how did Moblit find out about their organization? It wasn’t easy to contact Erwin and Levi knew for sure that there weren't a lot of people who knew about them and what they were doing. Not mentioning the fact that Erwin wouldn’t send one of his subordinates on such joke of assignment ( _although_ , he was worried for Levi and maybe he gave him this mission just so Levi wouldn’t die of boredom).

Either way, there was a lot questions that were unanswered and Levi could only hope that soon he would find out the answers he wanted. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> another chapter!  
> please comment and tell me what you think of my story so far :))


	4. Chapter 4

A week has passed since Hange, Levi and Moblit got aboard of Sea Splash. It was an early morning and all three of them were only waking up, when Gelgar bursted into their room.

"You know what day it is?" He asked obviously very excited about something.

"Wednesday, I think?" Hange replied, confusedly scratching her head.

"No, you _dummies_ ," Gelgar rolled his eyes, but a moment later a smile appeared on his face and he clasped his hands joyously. "It's captain's birthday!"

"Oh." Was all that Hange said. Then she looked at Moblit and Levi. "You need to leave." She said curtly to them. Then she got up and went to retrieve something from her bag. Levi obviously wanted to ask, what the _fuck_ had her 'get out' meant but Moblit grabbed his hand and made him get up from the bed.

"We really need to leave," he whispered to Levi, as he was dragging him towards the door.

"What? _Why_?" Levi didn't try to fight anymore, he already knew it was pointless to fight with Hange about anything, she always got what she wanted anyway. Or if she couldn't do it herself, she had Moblit to assist her with whatever she needed to get done.

"Oh, you'll see," Moblit told him conspicuously. "Or rather hear."

Then he left with Gelgar to help him in the kitchen. Levi decided to go to the deck to read a book and relax. He stopped by Mike's cabin and wished him happy birthday. The man quietly replied with thank you and then returned to his discussion with Nanaba. Levi saw a map opened between them, so he decided not to disturb their work.

Almost an hour passed, when Levi heard Hange emerging from their cabin. She headed straight to captain's cabin and Levi followed her, curious as to why she had sent him and Moblit away.

Just as Levi entered the cabin, Hange began to _sing_. And, surprisingly, her voice wasn't as terrible as Levi would have expected. It wasn't annoyingly high, as Hange's voice sometimes got when she was too excited. Instead, it was deep and melodic and while Hange clearly couldn't hold a tune very well, her singing still was very decent. And as Levi watched her sing with her hands behind her back and a somewhat shy smile on her face, he couldn't help but think that Hange looked absolutely _adorable_.

When Levi started actually listening to the song, he understood that Hange had definitely composed it herself. The lyrics consisted mostly of various praises to Mike, as Hange sang how he was the best captain in the world and how his Sea Splash was the mightiest and sturdiest ship in all of the seas. Levi could have argued about sturdiness of the ship, because to him it looked like it was days before it would fall apart.

Levi glanced at Nanaba and saw that she was grinning and actually clapping to the rhythm of Hange's song.

When Hange was finished, she bowed down. Nanaba, Moblit and Gelgar (who walked in without Levi noticing them) loudly applauded her.

"So," Hange asked, looking up at Mike. "Did you like it?"

There was a long pause and Hange was shifting her weight from one foot to another, obviously nervous to hear Mike's reaction. She opened her mouth to say something else, but Mike cut her off, by tugging her close to him and then nearly crushing Hange's body in a tight embrace.

"That was the _best_ , Hans," he murmured with feeling into Hange's hair. "No one's ever sang to me and you made the song yourself! I'm so deeply touched, thank you so much."

"Oh, that was nothing," Hange said, patting Mike's back affectionately. Although, she was trying to act nonchalant, even from his point of view, Levi could see the light blush on her cheeks and a pleased smile on her face.

"You need to sing it again during tonight's party!" Gelgar shouted from behind.

"A party?" Moblit asked, confusedly.

"Yeah," Nanaba replied. She came closer to Mike and put a hand on his shoulder. "We're making a small birthday party for our dear captain and, of course, you are all invited."

"There's going to be booze," Gelgar said with satisfaction.

"Oh, if there's booze, then I'm definitely in." Moblit replied and Gelgar high-fived him.  
  
  
The so called birthday party was held in captain's private quarters. Mike's cabin wasn't much bigger than the rest of ship's rooms, it had a place only for a bed, wardrobe and a table. It was a tight fit, but everyone managed to sit around the table. Mike, as a captain and birthday boy, was seated at the head of the table, Nanaba and Gelgar sat on one side and Levi, Hange and Moblit on the other. With a help from Moblit, Gelgar made an excellent dinner. They baked a cake, too, and Gelgar even brought candles.

All of it was very nice and even Levi, who rarely felt comfortable at such gatherings, was enjoying himself and his company. Although, it would have been made a little better, if Hange stopped squirming so much in her seat. The table was small and he was pressed close to her, so he felt her every little movement. And she was moving _a lot_. He tried to kick her under the table, in hopes that it would make her stop. All he got in response, though, was Hange's kick in return and then her giggling when she saw how his face winced in slight pain.

Of course, Gelgar kept his promise and brought a considerable amount of alcohol. And so, when the dinner was finished and everyone was ready to return to their cabins, Hange suddenly noticed a record player in the corner of Mike's room. Delightfully clasping her hands, she ushered everyone onto the deck, announcing that they should end this evening with dancing. Everyone was either drunk, or they got to know to Hange quite well, so no one argued with her.

Hange got to the deck, turned on the recorder and set it on the first radio station she found. Then she grabbed Mike's hand and started spinning him around. Mike didn't seem to mind and he was laughing along with Hange everytime they stumbled. Levi sat next to Moblit and together they watched as Hange and Mike goofed around. A few moments later, Gelgar decided to join in on the fun and took Nanaba with him. The woman mercifully let him drag her around the ship's deck in a poor attempt at dancing. Next to Levi, Moblit took out a bottle of wine. He offered it to Levi and when he declined with a shake of his head, Moblit shrugged and took a large gulp from the bottle. During the whole evening, Levi watched as Moblit was drinking even more heavily than Gelgar, but surprisingly he didn't look drunk at all.

"You look completely sober," Levi said to him.

"Ah, that's due to a long practice." Levi raised his eyebrow quizzically, prompting Moblit to continue. "Well, you see," Moblit pointed with his bottle to the dancing Hange. "As much as I love my job and enjoy working with Hange, sometimes handling her is _too much_ stress."

"Ah." Was all that Levi said. He didn't need to say much more, two men seemed to understand each other perfectly without words.

In the meantime, a song ended and so Hange decided to change partners. She reached her hand towards Nanaba and the other woman eagerly took it, glad to leave dancing with drunk and clumsy Gelgar to someone else. Both Hange and Nanaba were good dancers and knew what they were doing. However, they stopped their dance the moment they saw what Mike and Gelgar were doing. Two men were unsuccessfully trying to _waltz_. Hange and Nanaba clutched each other's shoulders and laughed as they watched how hard Gelgar was trying to avoid stepping on his captain's toes. The scene was so funny that even Levi couldn't help a smile that formed on his face. A minute later, Nanaba decided to take pity on her captain and so she let go of Hange's hand and grabbed Mike's, taking him away from Gelgar, who was pouting slightly. However, he quickly forgot about it and came up to Hange, offering her his hand. She eagerly took it and they began dancing.

Levi didn't think it was possible but somehow Hange and Gelgar's dance looked even more ridiculous than Gelgar and Mike's waltz. They seemingly had an outspoken contest over whose moves were more stupid. Unfortunately, it seemed like Hange was losing. It was probably because Gelgar was so much drunker than her.

Soon enough, that song ended and Hange came up to them. She outstretched her hand towards Moblit and he immediately took her hand into his, passing his bottle of wine to Levi.

A slow song has begun. Hange still held Moblit's hand in her own and she put another one on his shoulder bringing him closer. Moblit somewhat shyly put his own hand onto Hange's waist. They began slowly moving around the ship's deck. They were talking about something, as Levi saw their mouth moving, but over the music, he couldn't hear what exactly they were discussing. He didn't miss the fond and happy smiles on both of their faces, though. He took a large gulp of wine, not taking his eyes from the overly sweet scene in front of him.

"I understand you, my friend," Gelgar said as he sat next to Levi. He took the bottle from his hands and drank from it. "I've been rejected too."

" _What_? What the fuck are you talking about, I haven't been rejected," but then Levi saw where Gelgar was looking and understood what he meant. He also understood that Gelgar had completely _misunderstood_ everything. "We're not like that!" He said, a bit too loudly. "And they- they are not like _that_ at all!"

"If you say so," Gelgar replied, patting Levi's shoulder in a comforting manner. Levi felt even more pathetic. How miserable he must have looked if even Gelgar decided to comfort him.

"They are just friends," he repeated again. "And I... I am not even her _friend_."

Gelgar wordlessly gave the bottle back to him and Levi took it, taking another swing of wine.

They were switching the bottle between the two of them for a minute or two, when Hange came to stand in front of Levi. From the corner of his eye, Levi could see that Moblit sat next to Gelgar and snatched the wine back, bringing it to his lips. Then Levi returned his attention to Hange.

She bowed to him and outstretched her hand.

"Would you honor me with a dance?" She asked with a sweet smile. Levi suddenly felt very hot. He also felt his hand twitching to accept Hange's invitation, but he resisted this urge. He was Levi Ackerman and Levi Ackerman did not dance with crazy scientists and said scientists did _not_ make him feel all sorts of ridiculous feelings.

"Keep dreaming, four eyes, no way in hell am I going to dance with you." Levi held out his hand and Moblit gave him the bottle. Levi took another swing from it, maintaining direct eye with the irritating woman. Hange still stood in front of him, her hand still outstretched. At Levi's obvious refusal her smile only grew wider.

"You understand that you are not getting out of this, right? And that I'll be standing here until you agree to dance with me?"

"That could be a very long time."

"It could," Hange agreed. "But I can be very patient."

Levi cursed and got up, finally taking Hange's hand. Just as he was walking away, Gelgar patted his arm and whispered "good luck". Levi decided to ignore it. He led the way, dragging the laughing Hange along with him.

Levi laid the hand, that wasn't holding Hange's arm, on her waist, mirroring her position with Moblit. However, Hange gently freed her hand out of Levi's grasp and then laid it on his shoulder. For a second, Levi looked at her confused, but then put his now free hand on her waist. Hange smiled at him. The next song began and it was a slow one, _of course_ it was, the universe apparently hated Levi and wanted him to suffer as much as possible. They began to slowly move around. Hange still looked at him, with the same soft and fond smile. Her big brown eyes were sparking in the night.

"See?" She asked Levi. "It's not that bad right?"

"I agree. Could be worse."

"Ah, you flatter me," Hange replied, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Stop that," Levi said, rolling his eyes. "You look ridiculous."

For a second, Hange's smile turned into a pout. A moment later, though, Levi saw how her eyes started to glister mischievously. It was all he managed to notice, before Hange suddenly grabbed his hand and tried to spin him around. She managed to do that, but only because she didn't give Levi much time to react. After that, she tried to dip him down, but Levi was prepared for that and firmly stood his ground. He sent Hange a glare and a pout returned to her face.

"You are no fun," she mumbled.

She wanted to return her hand to its place on Levi's shoulder but he intersected it and instead took Hange's arm and spun her around. It was an unexpected move and Hange lost her balance. That gave Levi a time and chance to dip her down.

"I am no fun, you say?" He asked looking down at Hange. Levi moved her so suddenly, that she had to circle her arms around his neck, afraid that she would fall down or that Levi would let her go. However, Levi's hold on Hange was strong. He looked at the expression of surprise on Hange's face. That was a rather rare look on her face. Levi liked it, he liked that he was the one who put it on Hange's face. Levi also realized that now he was looking down at Hange and not the other way around like it usually was. He enjoyed this too and wasn't too keen on changing anything. Hange's expression suddenly changed, she smiled almost slyly at Levi and then tugged slightly on his hair.

"You are a _little_ fun," she said and then started giggling. "Get it?" She asked a very confused Levi. "It's because you're short!"

Levi felt his eye twitch. That woman was _unbelievable_. He got a very strong urge to let her fall to the ground. He told her so and Hange started laughing again.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," She told him. "I just couldn't resist."

Levi cursed under his breath, but then carefully returned Hange back to her previous position. They resumed their dancing. Hange wasn't laughing anymore, instead a wistful, almost sad smile appeared on her face.

"You know what they say?" She asked quietly. Levi looked up at her, but Hange wasn't looking at him anymore. Her face was turned upwards towards the night sky. "How the journey is the best part? I guess I get it know."

"Hange?" Levi questioned softly. "Is everything alright?"

Hange turned her gaze back to Levi and he could clearly see that she looked sad.

"Yeah, sorry, I'm just tired."

"Let's go to bed then, it's late anyway."

Hange just nodded. An idea popped up in Levi's head and he opened his mouth before he could stop himself.

"Do you want me to carry you?"

Hange looked at him confused.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Levi looked at her like she was stupid.

"Carry you to your bed, four eyes," he said slowly. "On my back."

"What's gotten into you? It's not that far to our cabin and I'm not _that_ tired."

"Do you want me or not?"

Hange bowed her head, but Levi still could see that there was a small smile on her face. He turned around and crouched, so Hange could get on his back. He suddenly noticed that the deck was now empty. Everyone had left and he didn't even notice it. Hange once again put her hands around Levi's neck and he easily lifted her up. It was a little awkward position, because Levi was shorter than Hange but she didn't seem to complain.

"Thank you," Hange whispered softly into his ear. Levi shivered slightly, but thankfully Hange didn't notice it. He slowly began his way to their cabin. Once they reached it, they found that it was empty.

"Moblit's probably still drinking with Gelgar." Hange said, noticing his absence. Levi nodded and then carefully deposited Hange onto her bed. He went to help her with the shoes, but Hange took his hands into hers.

"I can do it myself, you know."

"I know, but I want to do it for you. You don't want me to?"

Hange sighed and let go of Levi's hands. She fell down onto the pillow, letting Levi do his thing. When he was finished, he took the blanket and put it over her. He was ready to get up from her bed and go to his own, but Hange reached to his face with her hand. She tugged Levi a little closer and then gently kissed his cheek.

"Thank you," she whispered again and then closed her eyes. A moment later she was asleep. Levi frose, still sitting on her bed. For a long moment, he looked at Hange, unable to tear his eyes away. Then he noticed that she was still wearing her glasses and that broke him out of his trance.

"Idiot," he whispered fondly as he reached out to take them off. Then he finally got up and went to his bed.

Surprisingly, it took him almost no time to fall asleep. Levi rarely dreamt and when he did, it was always full of unpleasant and painful things. This night, however, was different, and he dreamt of gentle hands and warm brown eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Hange and Levi were once again woken up by the sound of knocking on the door of their cabin.

"Come in," Hange said sleepily, looking around for her glasses.

The door opened and Mike walked in.

"Good morning," he greeted them.

Levi nodded, greeting the man wordlessly, while Hange was busy staring at Moblit's bed. It was still empty and it looked like Moblit didn't even spend the night in it.

"Is Moblit still with Gelgar?" She asked Mike.

"Mm, yeah. I walked by Gelgar's room this morning and they both were still sleeping. I didn't dare to wake them up, it looked like they had quite a night."

"Did you want to talk about something?" Levi asked.

"Yes," Mike nodded. "I want to ask you for a favor," Hange grinned at him, encouraging the man to continue. "We're going to stop in Reykjavik soon and, you see, Nanaba's family lives here. Do you mind if we spend a day there, while she visits them?"

"Oh, not at all!" Hange exclaimed. "I've always wanted to visit Iceland anyway!"

Mike send her a small smile and then turned his head to Levi, waiting for his answer.

"If four eyes is okay with that, then I have no objections either."

"I'm sure Moblit will also agree," Hange added.

"Thank you, guys," Mike's smile grew wider. "I can show you a good hotel at Reykjavik or you can spend the night at the ship, if you want."

"Fuck no," Levi said. "We're definitely going to the hotel."

Levi was tired of living at the Sea Splash. The ship had a shower, but the water was often cold and pressure wasn't good enough, so Levi couldn't wait to spend a good half an hour, relaxing in a bath. Also, he wanted to spent at least some time without the company of other people. Living with Hange and Moblit wasn't that bad, but Levi still wanted to spend at least one night without hearing Hange toss and turn in her bed, mumble in her sleep or snore loudly.

Yes, Levi thought with some satisfaction, if they could stay at hotel, then spending the day in Reykjavik wasn't such a terrible idea.

They arrived in Reykjavik two days later. Just a second after Sea Splash moored to the shore, Hange jumped to the ground.

“The air is so fresh!” she exclaimed happily.

“You spent two weeks in the open sea, four eyes,” Levi grumbled, as he also got down from the ship. “Wasn’t the air there fresh enough for you?”

“Ah, you don’t understand, Levi! The air there was salty, while this air is frosty!”

“You’re right, Hange. I do _not_ understand.”

Soon enough, Moblit and the crew of Sea Splash joined Levi and Hange on the shore. A moment later, a woman walked up to them. She had short white hair and a pair of round glasses.

“Oh, that’s Rico,” Gelgar whispered to Hange, Moblit and Levi. “Nanaba’s girlfriend.”

Nanaba was deep in conversation with Mike and so she didn’t immediately noticed the newcomer. After Mike elbowed in the side, though, she turned around. A happy smile appeared on her face as she saw Rico and she ran up to the woman, enveloping her in a tight embrace.

“They look so cute!” Hange said with a smile.

Nanaba leaned to give her girlfriend a kiss. Rico was much shorter than Nanaba and so she had to stand on her tiptoes during the kiss.

“Levi, if you ever kiss somebody, do you think you’ll need to stay on your tiptoes for that?” Hange asked as she observed the happy couple.

“I had kissed people before, four eyes.”

“Ohhh, did you have to stand on your tiptoes for that?” Hange giggled delightfully. Levi’s hand twitched to wrap itself around Hange’s neck and throttle the annoying woman.

Thankfully, Mike choose this moment to interfere. He inserted himself between Levi and Hange, hugging both of them by the shoulders.

“Let’s not disturb the young love, my friends. Come with me, I’ll show you around Reykjavik.” He turned to Nanaba, who was still hugging her girlfriend. “Have fun!” Mike told her. “And don’t come too early tomorrow!”

Nanaba saluted to her captain, grinning happily. Mike smiled back and then he, Gelgar Hange, Moblit and Levi started to walk away, leaving the two women behind.

True to his word, Mike showed them around the city. They started at National Museum of Iceland and spent there more than two hours. They would have spent a lot more time there, because Hange seemingly couldn’t stop running around, marveling at exhibits and bothering the museum employees with endless questions. However, after a while Levi got tired of it and so he forcefully dragged her out. Then they saw Reykjavik City Hall and visited Hallgrímskirkja. And then, Mike showed them Icelandic Phallological Museum. Levi hated it. _Maybe_ , the museum exhibition could be actually interesting or at the very least tolerable, if Hange, Mike and Gelgar stopped making various puns and anecdotes about dicks for _at least_ a minute. The only thing worse than their jokes was the fact that Levi found a few of them actually funny. Their stupidity was probably contagious, he tried to assure himself. Their last stop was at Whales of Iceland. Levi found this place to be the most tolerable. Even with a lot of children around, the place still was peaceful and calm. Even Hange seemed to quieten a bit. She walked around for a while and then sat next to Moblit, silently watching as he was sketching various exhibits.

After that, Mike showed them the place, which, as he claimed, served the best pizza in the world. It was a small and cozy place and there weren’t a lot of people, even though it was already evening. The five of them sat at one of the booths. It was a long day and everyone was hungry and tired. They ordered a few pizzas and a beers to go with it.

“This is delicious!” Hange praised as she took the first bite of her pizza. “Mike, you were right, I can’t remember eating a pizza better than that!”

“You seem to know the city pretty well, Mike,” Moblit commented. “Do you also live in here?”

“Nah,” Mike waved his hand. “I don’t. Nanaba lives here, so I visit a lot.”

“Where are you from then?” Hange asked with her mouth full. Levi kicked her and told her to chew first and then talk, but she paid him no mind to him and looked at Mike, waiting for his answer.

“Oh, I’m from Manchester in England.”

“Cool!” Hange turned to Gelgar. “You live there too?”

“No, I’m from a small village in Wales.”

“Huh? Then how did the three of you meet?”

“I met Nanaba, when I was stopping at Reykjavik to refill. My previous crew left me, so I was in need of a new one. One day, I saw her out in a sea on a small boat. She was fishing and was pretty efficient about it too, so I asked if she wanted to join me. And she agreed.”

“And how did you meet Gelgar?”

“Oh, that’s a very funny story,” Mike said with a laugh.

“Don’t you dare,” Gelgar said. “Don’t you _dare_ tell them about that, Mike! They will stop considering me cool!”

“We’ve never started considering you that,” Levi told him coolly. Everyone around the table laughed.

“See?” Mike patted Gelgar’s arm affectionately. “That means, I can tell them. So,” Mike cleared his throat. Gelgar hid his face in his hands. “I was in London. Nanaba was going to arrive only next morning, so I had nothing to do and decided to go to a bar. And there I met this guy. He was _really_ drunk and couldn’t pay for his drinks. He came to me and _begged me_ to pay for him. I agreed and he was so thankful! Promised me that he would repay me with the best dinner I’ve ever had. He even gave his home address and told me to visit him tomorrow.”

“I was drunk and didn’t think you would actually come!” Gelgar accused him. “I didn’t even remember about that stupid promise until you showed up at my door in the evening!”

“I wasn’t actually going to come,” Mike confessed. “But then Nanaba finally arrived and I told her this hilarious story. She wanted to meet you and, well, we both wanted to have some fun, so we decided to come.”

“And?” Hange asked curiously. “Did Gelgar actually prepare the dinner for you?”

“He did.” Mike replied almost proudly. “He was shocked to see us and, of course, didn’t prepare anything beforehand. However, he still invited us in and sat us in his living room, telling to wait for a while. Then disappeared into a kitchen. Half an hour later, he came out and served the dinner. It was so delicious, I immediately proposed him to be a cook at my ship. And the three of us are together ever since.”

“Awesome!” Hange said. “A great story!”

After they were finished with their pizza, Mike showed them a nice nearby hotel. The room was clean and Levi enjoyed his bath, but it seemed to him as though something was missing. He paid no mind to it and prepared himself to bed. He understood what was wrong when he was laying in a bed, staring at a celling. It was _too quiet._ He got so used to living around other people, to hearing Moblit’s quiet voice or Hange’s laugh. It irritated Levi to no end, because he couldn’t even fall sleep without the sound of Hange’s snores. It was so bad that he even thought about going to Hange and Moblit’s room and ask them to sleep on the couch in their room. However, Levi quickly dismissed this idea. He was used to having insomnia, after all, and besides tomorrow they would once again get aboard of Sea Splash and, hopefully, there he would have no troubles sleeping.

The next day, Sea Splash began its voyage to America. Mike assured them that it wouldn’t take them more than a week to get there. Surprisingly for Levi, Hange wasn’t pleased about this news and she got quieter and sadder with each passing day. She was talking less and she stopped laughing and smiling altogether. Levi willed himself to stop thinking and worrying about the source of Hange’s strange behavior. Whatever was wrong with her, it was none of his business. In a few days, he would finally get Hange to America and then this assignment would be over and he would never see her again. Why should he even worry about her, when she was just an assignment to him?

A week passed quickly and soon they were only two days away from New York. On the evening of that day, though, a rain started pouring. Levi decided to go and ask Mike if there’s anything they should worry about.

“There’s going to be a storm,” Mike said as he stared intently at the dark ocean. “But I don’t think it’s going to be a serious one, so we should be fine. Don’t go outside, though,” he added. “If the wind is going to pick up, it could be dangerous.”

Levi nodded and thanked Mike for his advice, promising he and the others would stick to it. After that, he headed to the cabin he shared with Hange and Moblit. He entered and saw that only Moblit was inside.

“Where is four eyes?” he asked the other man.

“She isn’t with you?” Moblit asked confusedly.

“No and I haven’t seen her in a while,” Levi cursed and turned around to walk back outside. “Stay here,” he instructed Moblit. “I’ll go and find Hange.”

It turned out, Levi didn’t have to search for too long. Hange was sitting on a deck, completely soaked. Levi noticed a bottle of wine, clutched in her hand, and he could see another one laying nearby. The second one was probably empty and Levi had a pretty good idea of who exactly had given Hange the alcohol. He could deal with Gelgar later, though. Firstly, he needed to get Hange back to the cabin.

“What the fuck are you doing here, four eyes?” Levi asked angrily. It was raining hard and the wind was blowing heavily. He had to raise his voice just so Hange could hear him.

“Go away, Levi!” Hange shouted, not looking at him.

Levi walked up to her and grabbed her hand, but Hange quickly pulled her arm out of his grasp.

“I said leave me alone!” she shouted again, more angry this time.

Levi cursed and, seeing no other choice, sat down next to Hange.

“What are you doing?” Hange asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

“If you don’t want to get inside, then I’ll stay here with you.” He told her simply.

“You’ll get soaked.”

“So? You already are.”

“Whatever,” Hange said, turning away from him. “I don’t care what you do.”

Hange got quiet after that. Everything around them, though, was far from that. The rain fell heavily and the wind picked up significantly. The sound of waves hitting against Sea Splash was deafening. Watching as the nature exploded around them make Levi worry if the ship could really withstand it. Sea Splash looked like it was minutes away from breaking. But Levi remembered Mike’s words and if the man was sure there was nothing to worry about, then Levi would believe him.

“You know, all of it is your fault.” Hange finally said. Levi turned to look at her, but she defiantly kept staring at the horizon. “Well, maybe not all of it, but definitely a good portion of it. I was fine before you came. I was… was almost _ready_ to go. Sure, my life wasn’t very long, but it was a good one, I was proud of it, I made my peace with everything,” Hange’s voice broke on the last word. Levi opened his mouth to ask what the fuck she was talking about, but Hange, as though, sensing that he was going to speak, finally turned to look at him. Her eyes were red and wet. Levi couldn’t understand if that was because of the rain or if she was crying. He remained speechless and Hange continued. “But then you came!” she exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at him. “And I tried so hard to hate you! Or, at the very least be cross with you. But you were so nice! So awkward and rude on the outside, but so caring and kind on the inside. Moblit warned me to stay away from you, not to trust you, but I… I didn’t listen to him. Of course, I didn’t, I never did,” Hange gave a mirthless laugh. “Maybe, if I had actually listened to him, I wouldn’t be in this shit right now.”

“Hange, what the fuck are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

“You don’t understand, huh? Don’t give me that crap.” Hange again turned away from him. She brought a bottle to her lips, taking a large gulp from it. Hange has clearly shown him that she wasn’t going to talk anymore and that she wouldn’t explain the weird nonsense she just told him. And if she was going to keep quiet, Levi may as well be the one who talks this time.

He snatched the bottle away from Hange and drank from it.

“If you don’t want to talk,” he began, wiping the wine remnants from his lips. “Then I’ll tell you something. I’ve never told it to anyone, so you better listen, Hange. Would you?” Levi could see Hange was thinking about her answer. A moment later, she timidly nodded. Satisfied, that he finally got her attention, Levi began.

“You know, that before your mission, I haven’t been on assignments for two months? Erwin, my boss, he told me that I needed the time to rest and heal. During my last assignment, the one with Yeager kid, I injured my knee badly, it still bothers me sometimes. But… it wasn’t my physical injury that hurt the most. I didn’t work alone before, I had a team. Petra, Oluo, Eld and Gunther. They were the best of the best and I picked each of them myself. I trained them too. We spent a lot of time together, in and out of missions and I guess… I guess they were like a family to me.

“During the last mission, a couple of bad guys were after Eren and they almost took him. I sent my team to the location Eren was supposedly held. I stayed behind for five minutes, just so I could contact Erwin and tell him our status. I came to the building the others went in, but it turned out that I was too late and the building was already gone. It exploded and my whole team got caught up in that explosion. There was no one left to save and all I could do was stare at the pieces that were left of them.”

Even though, these events pained Levi greatly and still haunted him in nightmares, his voice was as cold and emotionless as always. So he was surprised when Hange’s hand gently touched his.

“Oh, Levi,” she said softly. “I’m so sorry.”

Levi finally dared to look at Hange. She was looking sympathetically at him and there were tears running down her face.

“Come here,” Hange enveloped him in a hug. Even over the loud sounds of rain, Levi could her Hange’s quiet sobs. He was confused by her crying. He couldn’t understand why Hange, who didn’t even know his team, was crying into his shoulder while he, a person who knew and loved them, couldn’t shed a single tear.

“It’s okay to cry, Levi,” Hange said as though she could actually hear his thoughts. She began to softly caress his hair. 

Levi kept quiet, however he hugged Hange tighter and buried his face into her shoulder. He forgot the last time he cried, maybe he had never cried in his life. He certainly didn’t cry when his mother had died. Maybe, he forgot how to do it or maybe he just never learnt. But as Hange was holding him in her arms, still quietly sobbing, Levi felt something wet on his cheeks. He gingerly touched it with his hand, checking if it was real. It could be rain, it probably _was_ rain, but… Levi still felt a little better, a little lighter now that he shared his loss with someone.

They sat there for some time, it could have been five minutes or half an hour, Levi couldn’t tell as he had completely lost the track of time. However, soon Hange began so shiver slightly from the cold wind. She untangled herself from Levi and slowly got up.

“We’re going to end with pneumonia, if we continue to sit under the rain.”

Levi just nodded and also got up. He wanted to ask Hange, if she was feeling better now and what had she meant by her speech earlier. However, they were soaked and it was getting colder and colder as the wind seemed to get stronger, so their conversation could wait until they got inside.

Hange started to walk. However, a second later, a huge wave hit Sea Splash and the ship began tilting to the side. Levi watched as Hange’s foot slipped on a wet floor. She began falling down, the ship was tilting further and further and Levi had to catch Hange otherwise she could completely fall off the ship. He tried to grab her hand, but wasn’t fast enough. So Levi threw himself at her, turning them around and shielding Hange’s body with his. A second later, Levi’s back hit the metal railing hard and he hissed in pain.

“Hange, are you alright?” he asked. Hange looked wildly at him, not completely understanding what just happened. It took her a second and then her gaze turned alarmed and worried.

“Oh my god, Levi, you must be badly hurt!”

“I’m fine,” he grumbled although his back definitely had another opinion on that. Levi gritted his teeth, trying to numb the pain. “Let’s head inside already. Carefully this time.”

Slowly, but surely they made their way inside, still holding onto each other.

In that state Nanaba saw them in a corridor.

“My goodness! You two are completely soaked! What were you even doing outside, didn’t Mike tell you it was dangerous?”

“Uh,” Hange scratched her head, avoiding Nanaba’s worried gaze. Now she actually felt guilty of her antics. She made her friends worry about her and Levi even hurt himself, trying to protect her.

Nanaba signed and took Hange’s hand.

“Come, I’ll give you fresh and dry clothes. And you should sleep with me tonight, my cabin’s got a heater.” She turned to look at Levi. “Mike has towels and blankets if you need them.”

He nodded and Nanaba began to drag Hange away. However, Hange turned around to face Levi. She clearly wanted to tell him something, but Levi waved her off.

“Go to sleep, Hange. We’ll talk in the morning.”

For a moment, it looked like she was going to argue, but then she let Nanaba take her away. Even after Hange and Nanaba closed the door after themselves, Levi remained in the corridor, staring at the place where Hange stood moments ago. The events of this night kept replaying in his mind. He was more confused than ever before. However, he was sure now, that there was something going on. Something that he wasn’t aware of. And now he was determined to find out everything. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> initally i wanted to make two chapters out of it, but i was too excited to get to the actually interesting parts and finally begin to move the plot, that i decided to make it into one  
> i'm so excited to write the next chapter, so comment and tell me what you think about this one!!!


	6. Chapter 6

Moblit loved his job. He enjoyed working at university and liked teaching students something new. In his personal opinion, he wasn’t particularly good at it, he was sure his lectures weren’t even half as entertaining and engaging as the ones that Hange was giving. However, every time he noticed some students looking at him intently, listening to him attentively, with curiosity written all of their faces, he was filled with immense pride and joy.

Apart from teaching, Moblit also helped Hange with her experiments in the laboratory. Hange was a genius, there was no denying that. Moblit had never met a person who thought like her, Hange was not only able to come up with the most bizarre ideas, but she also possessed the ability to find a way to turn all of them into reality. But her genius wasn’t the thing that drew Moblit in, wasn’t the main reason why he loved working with her so much. Because Hange was not only incredibly smart, no, she was much more than that – she was kind, compassionate and caring, she was so fantastically _human,_ she felt so much, had so much love and light inside of her and she shared it with others so freely. Hange was the liveliest person Moblit knew. He was constantly in awe of how free Hange was with her emotions, whatever she felt – happy or angry, joyous or sad – she was always showing it clearly, without an ounce of a shame. She was so unabashedly _herself,_ felt so comfortable in her own skin, not caring at all what the others thought of her. The way Hange felt about her work never ceased to amaze and inspire Moblit. She gave it her whole heart and soul, threw in everything that she got, forgetting to even sleep or eat. Most of the times, when Hange started to behave like that, it troubled and worried Moblit, but he still respected the dedication she had. There were many things that Moblit admired about Hange and he couldn’t have been more honored and proud to know that Hange did not only pick him to be her assistant, but that she considered him her friend as well.

Before he met Hange, Moblit didn’t know what he was going to do after he would finish the university. He certainly didn’t expect to become a scientist, that’s for sure. But then, one day, he stumbled into one of Hange’s lectures. She was teaching none of his courses and he just entered the room by a mistake. He understood his error only after the lecture had begun and by that time, he felt that it would be too awkward if he were to leave the room right in the middle of Hange’s speech. So he had no other choice than to stay and listen. Hange’s lecture was about mitosis, meiosis, and the difference between those two processes. Moblit didn’t know much about biology and remembered only some bits from the school program. However, Hange’s lecture was so engaging, so captivating and enthralling that he listened to the every word she said. Two hours flew by quickly and Moblit didn’t even notice it. Soon the lecture was over and Moblit got up, ready to go to the next lecture, the one which he _actually_ needed. However, when he was almost near the door, Hange called out to him.

“Hey, you! Wait a minute, please!” she said loudly.

Moblit didn’t turn around, she couldn’t be calling out to him after all, right? So he walked out of the room. But Hange repeated her exclamation and then Moblit heard her hurried steps. A second later, someone’s hand grabbed Moblit’s arm. He turned to see who it was and there stood Hange, smiling a bit awkwardly at him.

“I haven’t seen you on my lectures before.”

“Mm, yes,” Moblit desperately tried to think of some explanation. Although, looking into Hange’s big and hopeful eyes, he decided to tell her the truth. “I’ve actually mistaken the rooms, I don’t study biology.”

“Oh,” was all that Hange said. Her face fell, the smile disappearing from her lips. Moblit felt like an asshole for disappointing her.

“But I liked your lecture very much!” he said, trying to improve the situation.

“Really?” Hange asked, hope evident in her voice.

“Yeah!” Moblit nodded. “I even thought about changing majors.” He didn’t actually think about that until he had said it out loud. But after the words left his mouth, Moblit understood that they were true. The smile that appeared on Hange’s face after his words was radiant.

“Thank you!” she exclaimed and then hugged him tightly. Moblit was a little shocked because of the unexpected contact and he just awkwardly patted her back. “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever told me!”

Hange let go of him, but then immediately grabbed his hand, linking their arms together.

“Have you seen the university’s lab?”

“Eh, no?”

“Then come, I’ll show it to you!”

“Oh, um, okay,” Moblit said, shyly scratching his neck.

“If you like it there,” Hange continued with the same enthusiasm. “Then you can be my assistant! I’ve been looking around for one for _ages_!”

Moblit just wordlessly followed Hange, a tentative smile of his own slowly blossoming on his face.

And that was how Moblit met Hange and started working with her. At first, there were only two of them, but as the time passed, Nifa, Keiji and Goggles joined their team. The work wasn’t easy and too often Moblit found himself staying after hours, helping Hange with the whatever she needed. But for the first time in his life, Moblit felt happy – he felt like he had finally found the place where he belonged and the people he belonged with. So when Hange got in trouble, when her genius finally led her astray, Moblit was prepared to do anything to save her. He frantically tried to think of some plan, to find any solution that would help Hange. He knew better than to go and ask Hange herself, he knew her too well and was sure that Hange would not agree to anything he proposed, if there was at least a small chance that others might get hurt. She was always too selfless for her own good. So Moblitd idn’t think of anything better than to insist that he travels with Hange and then lie that he was afraid of flying, so they would be forced to go by sea. He wanted to win a little more time, in hopes that he would think of something better by then. And soon he found the solution, placed his only hope in a person he least expected to. Levi Ackermann, a man who was supposed to look after Hange. From the very beginning, Moblit didn’t like him, didn’t trust him. He insisted, many times, that Hange should do the same, but she refused to listen to him. He wanted to be angry with her, but the more he watched their interactions, the more he observed Levi himself, the more he began to think that he was the one who was foolish. He saw how Levi looked at Hange, how even though he obviously was an unpleasant and rough man, how despite his rude words and cold attitude, he still looked at her with soft, almost gentle gaze. He cared for her more than just his assignment, that Moblit was sure of. That made Moblit realize something and he came to an unexpected but possible conclusion: Levi didn’t know the true purpose of his mission. That, or he was the biggest asshole in the world and was shamelessly playing with Hange’s feelings. But Levi didn’t look like a man, who was capable of that or who was even interested in such things.

So, Moblit decided that he must talk with him, preferably when Hange wasn’t near. He would tell Levi the truth and then ask for his help.

The perfect opportunity arose when it was almost too late. Two days were left before they would reach America and Moblit was feeling more and more anxious with each passing moment. Hange's time was running out and Hange herself seemed to be aware of that. She was talking less and less, the only thing she seemed to be interested in was writing in her journal. Moblit asked what she was writing and she gave him a smile so sad that it almost broke Moblit's heart. She told him that he would get to see her journal later, that she was writing it to him and others and she would give it to him before she goes.

Moblit was constantly seeking out Levi's company, trying to strike a conversation with him. But whenever he tried to, Hange was always nearby. He was becoming desperate and couldn't stop thinking of how little time was left.

He thought he found the right time - Hange was out of their cabin for almost two hours and Levi was reading a book on the other side of the room. Moblit almost called out to him, but suddenly the ship began to rock and they heard a sound of heavy rain. Levi immediately got up, saying he would go and ask Mike about this. Soon he returned, and the news weren't good - there was going to be a storm, but what was even worse was the fact that they didn't know where Hange was. Levi went out to look for her, leaving Moblit alone. He tried to wait patiently, but it was almost an hour since Levi left and neither he, nor Hange returned to the cabin. Moblit was beginning to think that he should go out and look for them himself, when the door suddenly opened. At first, Moblit was relieved to see Levi, but then he noticed the state in which he had entered the room. The man was soaked and shivering and he walked with a noticeable limp. But another thing worried Moblit even more - Levi walked in alone, without Hange following him.

"What happened? Where is Hange? You didn't find her?" Moblit started to think about possible explanation to all of that and he felt almost physically ill.

"Calm down," Levi said, noticing his agitation. "She's fine, she's just as wet as I am, and so went to sleep with Nanaba, because her room's warmer."

"Oh," Moblit let out a long exhale, willing himself to relax. "I just thought that..."

"Yeah, I get it, don’t worry," Levi answered quietly.

Mobliti waited until Levi was changed, thinking what words he should use to persuade him into helping Hange. He was almost sure that Levi would agree to help them, but he wanted to be _absolutely_ sure.

"We need to talk." Moblit said finally, when Levi was dressed in his dry clothes. For a moment, Levi looked surprised but then he nodded.

"I agree. There are some questions I need answers for."

"I'll begin if you don't mind?"

Levi nodded again.

"Do you know why Hange is going to America?"

"She is going work there, isn't she? Four eyes hasn't actually told me the reason."

Moblit resisted the urge to smile triumphantly. So Levi truly did _not_ know. Moblit suspected it, sure, but to actually got a confirmation? Moblit felt happier and more hopeful than he did in weeks.

"Then I suppose, there is something I should, no, I _must_ tell you. Hange probably wouldn't want to me to tell you that, but... Hange isn't here, right? So,” he cleared his throat, thinking of how to start his story. “You know, Hange and I are scientists, right?"

"Yes, four eyes mentioned it. Approximately, a hundred times, probably more."

Levi's retort earned a chuckle from Moblit, but a moment later his face got serious again and he continued.

"We work at university, so usually we just teach students and take part in various experiments and research. Sometimes, though, because Hange is a well-known scientist and because our university has one of the best laboratories in the country, various companies contact Hange, asking her to test some drug or to help them invent a new medicine.

"That's exactly what happened two months ago. A man came, said he was from a pharmaceutical company. He asked Hange to create formula for a new antidepressant or whatever that was. Something that would lessen negative emotions and help get rid of stress, but without causing an addiction. Hange was so taken in by the idea that she immediately set out to work. She spent almost a week in the lab, barely sleeping and eating. But when she was done, the final product was very different from what Hange was supposed to do. Firstly, the chemical compound she created wasn't in a form of a pill or even a syrup. Instead, it was a gas. Secondly, and more importantly, the effect this chemical had was... Way different than it should have been. I was with Hange when she was testing it. Well, she didn't exactly decide to test it, she just let the gas out. Both of us, of course, were sitting in respirators. But the student who walked in, wanting to ask Hange about his grade, did not. I immediately told him to leave and he did. Which was _weird_ , I knew this student and he was, well, an asshole _._ He was always arguing with others, even with professors, and if he set out to do something, it was almost impossible to change his mind. But this time, he just obediently left without asking any questions. Hange noticed his odd behavior too and told me to keep an eye on him. I did as she told me and observed the kid for a few days. And something in him definitely changed. Whenever someone disagreed with him on something, he didn’t start an argument, as he usually did. No, he just accepted another person’s opinion, saying that he was the one who was wrong. Others students noticed it too, but thankfully no one connected the change in him with our research. A few days later, though, he turned back to normal, as the gas’ effects seemed to run out of his system. Hange explained that she probably made a slight miscalculation and accidentally blocked the brain area that is responsible for protesting. I didn't know it was possible and would have not believed it, but well, I've seen it with my own eyes. Also I think... I think Hange knew about gas' effects beforehand or at least suspected something. The effect was too drastically different to be just a miscalculation. As much as I admire Hange, sometimes... She gets too obsessed with her research, too interested in creating something new that she forgets about morals.

"Hange told me to forget about her invention and announced to the man who hired her that her research turned out to be a failure. For some time, everything was back to normal. A few weeks later, though, a man visited our laboratory. He was looking for Hange. He wore glasses and was dressed in an expansive suit. Nifa immediately thought he was Hange's boyfriend," Moblit smiled slightly at the memory of his friend. "However, as it turned out, she couldn't be more wrong. After he left, Hange called me into her office. She told me that somehow the man found out about her research with the gas and now wanted to buy her formula. Hange, of course, disagreed. The man's name was Zeke Yeager and he-"

"Wait," Levi cut him off. "His surname was Yeager? Are you sure?"

"Um, yes?" Moblit replied a little nervously. "He's some billionaire and owns a lot of different companies. Do you know him?"

"No," Levi hid his face with a hand. "I don't think so... I just know a kid with the same surname. But they probably are not related. Please continue."

"As I was saying, the man was rich and powerful so God only knows what he was going to do with Hange's creation. And he was persistent, too, visited our laboratory constantly, trying to persuade Hange into giving him the formula. Hange was adamant, though, and refused him every time. Soon, the man understood that simple persuading wouldn't work on Hange and he saw that she wasn't interested in money. So he started to threaten her. However, _that_ didn't work too. So... He chose another way. Seeing that Hange wasn't frighten by him and that she seemingly didn't value her life all that much, he began to threaten her co-workers. He sent her photos with everyone from our team. The photos showed me, Nifa, Keiji and Googles at work, at home, everywhere we spent our time. The message was clear and Hange, selfless as she is, immediately contacted Zeke. They reached an agreement: Hange would go to America, to one of Zeke’s personal laboratories and there she would replicate the formula. And in return Zeke would stop threatening her friends.

"Hange didn't tell me anything about this, she probably knew I would be against her stupid self-sacrificing, but I found the photos when I was cleaning her table. I tried to make her refuse Zeke, _begged_ her not to go, but Hange had made her mind and it was impossible to make her change it. She refuses to run away, because she is sure that her friends would be hurt and I know for sure she wouldn’t give Zeke the formula. She would probably try to trick him somehow, but if she fails, it wouldn’t end well. That’s why I persuaded her to let me go with her. It wasn’t easy, but I just couldn’t let her go alone. Although, I’m afraid I still wouldn’t be able to help her much."

"So you're telling me,” Levi said slowly, almost frighteningly calm. “That my job was not to protect Hange - it was to make sure she wouldn't _escape_."

"Well, yeah. We thought you knew."

"I didn't. Erwin, that fucking bastard, didn't tell me. So it wasn't you who hired me?"

"Um, no? It was Zeke."

"Shit. Now it all makes sense, though."

"So? That means you would help us, right?"

"Help you?" Levi asked confusedly. "With what exactly?"

"With Hange's escape, of course. I have a few ideas how to-"

"What? No, no, no. I'm not going to help anyone. I don't care what happens to four eyes."

"You truly don't?" Moblit asked looking deeply into Levi's eyes. Levi averted his eyes.

"That doesn't really matter. I've got my orders, I can't go against them."

"So that's it? You would give up on her so easily?" Moblit asked loudly. He was angry, he thought Hange meant something to Levi, he _knew_ she did, could see it in his eyes. But it looked like he didn't care enough to actually fight for her.

"Give up on her? Don't be ridiculous. Hange is just another mission to me and the only thing I care about is successfully bringing her to America and then finishing this fucking mission."

"I thought you were a better man," Moblit told him fiercely.

"Well, sorry to disappoint," Levi got up and started towards the door. "But I don't care."

And then Levi closed the door after himself, slamming the door shut only a _little_ more forcefully than necessary.

Moblit remained sitting on his bed. He was utterly defeated. His only chance, his only hope on saving Hange was destroyed. After a brief moment of weakness, though, Moblit returned to his strength. He decided not to give up, to continue trying to find a way. There is still some time left, he can still think of something.

After all, it was Hange who taught him to never give up. And so he wouldn't give up on her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow, levi was sure a bastard in the end of chapter, wasn't he? 
> 
> actually, i planned this chapter even before i started writing this fic, so i was really excited to finally write it!  
> i hope you'll enjoy it at least half as much as i enjoyed writing it :))  
> also HUGE thanks to ddeokbokki, your comments really do motivate and inspire me to continue this story ;)


	7. Chapter 7

Levi briskly walked outside. The storm has passed and the air was fresh. He hoped it would help to clear his head a little. It didn’t. Levi took a deep breath, willing himself to relax, for his heartbeat to slow down and for his thoughts to calm. He stared at the dark ocean around him - it looked so peaceful, almost serene. Levi envied it, he was far from being calm. The gloomy clouds disappeared and the sky was clear, stars shining brightly. Looking up at them, Levi was reminded of Hange’s eyes. When Hange was excited about something (as she so often was), her eyes sparkled just as brilliantly as the stars above him. Levi furiously shook his head, trying to get that sort of thoughts out of his mind. It would do him no good to imagine Hange’s eyes, when they were alight with passion, or her happy, sunny smile. It would make things even worse, if he would try to remember when was the last time he saw her being cheerful or content. Levi cursed, gripping the metal railing hard. He couldn’t deny it no more – he was lost. He didn’t know what to do anymore. He knew what he _should_ do and that was to forget everything Moblit told him, to ignore his conscience and finish this stupid mission once for all. Then he would return to his comfortable and clean apartment, to his familiar and boring life. All would become quiet and peaceful again, _just as he liked it._ There wouldn’t be any crazy scientists, who constantly bothered him. He wouldn’t hear the sound of obnoxious and loud laughter, wouldn’t need to tolerate the lame jokes about his height. He wouldn’t feel the urge to tug at her hair, just to test if her locks were as soft as they looked. He certainly wouldn’t miss any of it and there was no fucking way he would miss _her_.

“Shit,” Levi muttered quietly. He was always bad at lying to himself.

Still, no matter how much he wanted to help Hange, no matter _what_ he felt for her, what Levi told Moblit was true. Erwin gave him this mission and his friend was confident that Levi could finish it. And he couldn’t go against his orders and break the trust Erwin put in him. He had never doubted Erwin, followed through his every command, even if sometimes he questioned them. He couldn’t disobey him this time, right? Although, if Levi explained everything to Erwin and told him about Hange and how smart and brilliant she was, how much she could help their organization if Erwin could recruit her, then maybe Erwin could change his mind. He was an intelligent and _very_ resourceful man, he would see that Levi is right and then he would agree to help and-

 _No._ Levi stopped his thoughts before they could go any further. Erwin probably knew about everything beforehand, he knew what Hange did and what Zeke wanted from her. He also most likely knew what awaited Hange, once she would get to America. There was another question, though: why hadn’t Erwin told him? Of course, knowing Levi for many years, he probably didn’t expect him to get so attached, but still. Why keep it secret? It was a vital piece of information and it entirely changed Levi’s mission.

Taking a deep breath, Levi closed his eyes. He tried to convince himself that he was making a right choice. He knew Hange for such little time, why should he care what is going to happen to her? Levi had many more reasons why he shouldn’t help Hange. But the moment he remembered Hange’s kind eyes, all of his attempts had gone to waste. Levi couldn’t bear the thought of Hange hurting, the possibility that the light in her eyes, which always shone so brightly, would be extinguished.

Levi gritted his teeth in annoyance. He thought he already got his answers from Moblit, but the more he thought about this entire situation, the more confused he became. He knew two things, though. One was that he didn’t want to betray Erwin or his trust. Two was that he really _really_ didn’t want anyone to hurt Hange.

A sudden realization hit Levi. Not only he didn’t want for Hange to get hurt, _no,_ he also didn’t want to lose her. Somewhere along the way, during their long journey, he came to care about Hange. And not just as his mission, not just as a friend. Levi was feeling _something_ for her, something that was inside him for a very long time, something that he tried very hard to ignore. Something that Levi wasn’t brave enough to put a name on yet. It wasn’t simple attraction, there was _affection_ too. Quite a lot of it, actually. Levi tried to think when exactly those feelings began blossoming in him. Was it when they danced together? Or did it happen much earlier, when he and Hange were spending their nights, stargazing? Or maybe something began stirring inside of him the very first time he had laid his eyes on Hange? Levi didn’t know and it didn’t really matter. None of it mattered if in a few days he would abandon her and they would never see each other again.

Taking a deep sign, Levi opened his eyes and turned away from the ocean. Whatever he planned to do next, it was evident he needed to ask for some advice first.

He entered the captain’s cabin and saw that Mike was still awake, his eyes staring intently into the dark horizon.

“Can’t sleep?” he asked as Levi walked closer to him.

“Not particularly,” Levi agreed. “I need your help.”

“Sure. Whatever you need.”

“Is there some way I can make a call? My phone shows no network.”

“Wait a second,” Mike said as he reached to the inside pocket of his jacket. He took out the phone and unblocked it. “I’ll need to check, but I think it would work.”

“Thanks,” Levi said earnestly.

He told Mike the number he needed. Mike typed it into his phone and then put it near his ear. It took some time, but the call successfully connected and soon Levi could hear Erwin’s deep voice.

“It works,” Mike told Levi. Erwin obviously said something to Mike, as Levi heard his voice again, but he couldn’t make out the words. “Um, there is someone who wants to talk to you,” Mike said a little awkwardly into the phone and then thrusted the phone into Levi’s hands. “I’ll be outside if you need me.” He told Levi before he exited the cabin.

“Hi, Erwin,” Levi said, when Mike closed the door after himself.

“Levi, it’s nice to hear your voice. It’s been awhile,” Erwin told him. His words were light, but his tone was serious. “If you’re calling me, then I guess you’ve found out.”

“I _did,_ ” Levi told him a little more forcefully then necessary. “What the fuck Erwin?”

“Did Professor Zoe told you the truth?”

“No, it was her assistant. But it doesn’t matter who told me. What matters is why _you_ didn’t tell me.”

“Levi…” Erwin signed tiredly. His voice was so worn out, Levi felt bad for his friend. Only for a moment, though, because then he became angry again. “I know that not telling you was a mistake and I apologize for that. You probably wonder why I did that and… I must admit, it was due to a moment of weakness on my part. When I met Professor Zoe… Even though, she knew where she was going and _what_ could and probably would happen to her there, she was still so positive. She smiled brightly at me and when she shook my hand in greeting, she held my hand gently. She knew who I was, what I was hired to do, but even so, she felt no remorse towards me. And so… I decided to give her at least some semblance of normalcy during her last journey. I knew that if I told you what exactly you needed to do, your opinion and attitude towards her would be different.”

“So that’s it, that’s the reason? You wanted for her to feel comfortable?”

“It’s the least I could do for her,” Erwin told him quietly. Levi could clearly hear the sadness in his voice. Hearing his reasoning, Levi wasn’t angry with Erwin anymore. He thought that all of it was some scheme, another one of Erwin’s elaborate plans, but he was surprised to find out that Erwin was just trying to be more humane and compassionate.

“I want to apologize again, Levi.” Erwin said in a voice that almost resembled his usual. However, it was still a little different, because Erwin’s usual voice was free of any kind of regret.

“It’s fine,” Levi replied to him sincerely. He was actually thankful to Erwin for not telling him, because his friend was right – if Levi knew his true mission from the beginning, he would never let Hange get so close to him. He would never get to know her and it would have been one of the biggest mistakes in his life.

“We’re good then?” Erwin asked hopefully.

“We are,” Levi agreed. “But it wasn’t the actual reason why I needed to call you.”

“Oh?”

“I called you to say, that I will not finish this mission. I’m sorry, but I just can’t let Hange get to America.”

“Huh,” Erwin chuckled. “So Hange Zoe is truly an extraordinary person. She even managed to melt Levi Ackerman’s heart.”

“Shut up,” Levi told him, feeling his ears redden with embarrassment. Still he was relieved to hear that Erwin wasn’t angry with him. He expected it, to be honest, after all, he was directly disobeying him and he failed his mission. Erwin didn’t sound like he was disappointed or angry, no, instead it looked like he was actually _satisfied_ with this outcome. 

“I am actually relieved that you want to save her,” Erwin admitted, as though he was reading Levi’s mind. “Hange Zoe is a remarkable person and it would have been a shame if we lost her brilliant mind at such young age.”

“You want to recruit her?”

“Well, I’d be honored if she agreed to work with us. But I think after all of that, she would like to return to her previous peaceful life.”

“If you think four eyes wants a peaceful life, then you don’t know her.”

“And you do?” Erwin asked and Levi could hear that he was smirking. So he decided not to dignify his last words with a response.

“Anyway,” Erwin said after a brief silence. “I’m glad that you’ve found a new friend.”

“Believe me,” Levi snorted. “I didn’t have much of a choice in that.”

“Then Professor Zoe is even more amazing than I thought,” Erwin laughed heartily. “But I am thankful to her, it’s good to know you’re not alone anymore. I was actually worried for you ever since, you know…”

“I do,” Levi said softly. “Speaking of that. The guy that wants Hange, is he-?”

“He is Eren Yeager’s half-brother, yes,” Erwin finished for him. Levi’s eyes widened in shock. He suspected that it couldn’t be a simple coincidence but half-brother? “As far as I’m aware, Eren doesn’t know he exists,” Erwin assured him.

“Was he somehow involved in attempt at Eren’s kidnapping?”

“If he was, he did a good job at hiding it. I did a thorough search on all companies he owns and all of his activities, but found nothing suspicious.”

“Isn’t that in itself suspicious? It’s hard to imagine a guy who has never done anything illegal in his whole life, but then decided to threaten and kidnap an innocent scientist.”

“Zeke Yeager is not a simple man. That’s why I wanted to warn you, Levi. You are taking a huge risk, is Professor Zoe truly worth it?”

“She is,” Levi replied quietly, but fiercely.

“I see,” Erwin said thoughtfully. “I guess there is nothing I can say that would change your mind. But you have to understand-”

“Yes, you can’t help me,” Levi finished for him. “I know you can't and I wasn’t counting on it. Just wanted to make you are aware of my intents.”

“I cannot help you,” Erwin agreed. “At least not _directly_.”

“Huh?” Levi asked confusedly. Did Erwin actually mean what Levi thought he meant?

“Do you have a plan?” Erwin asked his own question, not bothering to elaborate on his words. He knew that Levi understood his innuendo and he hated wasting time. So, straight to the business.

“I do.” Levi said with confidence. “Although, I do need your help.”

“I’m listening.”

“If I would just run away with Hange, Zeke would think of it as her trying to escape. He would hurt her friends then. We need to make him believe that Hange didn’t plan on escaping. So you have to tell Zeke that I kidnapped her. Tell him I’ve gone rogue or lost my mind, whatever makes it more believable.”

“Hmm,” Erwin was quiet for a few seconds, thinking over Levi’s words. “It’s a good plan.” He said finally. “Good job, Levi, but I think we should add more details to the story.”

“Huh?” again Levi was confused.

“I can send my team,” Erwin explained. “Make it look like… well, like you’ve actually gone rogue. Killed everyone and then ran away.”

“You wouldn’t actually kill them, right?”

“Of course, not!” Erwin laughed. “We would take them in, provide them with protection, make sure they got to their homes safely. You’re still on a ship?”

“Yes.”

“Well, send me your coordinates, when you’ll get to land, my people would arrive there.” _Fuck,_ Levi didn’t think about it before, but he had to ask Mike to change directions. It was probably a bad idea to arrive in New York and then try to hide there. No, they needed a place where there wouldn’t be so much people. “I would have proposed the same to your dear Professor,” Erwin continued in the meantime. “But something tells Zeke somehow monitors her movement. So be careful with that.”

“Roger that,” for a moment Levi became silent, trying to gather courage for his next words. “Thank you, Erwin,” he said finally. His words were quiet but Erwin knew that Levi was speaking from his heart. “That means a lot to me.” He added in the same soft tone.

“I know, my friend,” Erwin assured him kindly. “But I want something in return. Two things actually.”

“Whatever you need,” Levi replied without skipping a beat.

“First, you’ll have to introduce me to Hange Zoe. I’m dying to meet a person who finally managed to steal your heart!”

Levi ignored his words. He didn’t know how to answer without making an utter embarrassment of himself. Of course, he could start to deny his attraction to Hange, but it was pointless with Erwin. He knew Levi too well.

“What else do you want?”

“Um, the man I just spoke with…” Erwin began a little uncertainly.

“He’s the captain of the ship, you can trust him.”

“No, that wasn’t what I meant,” Erwin loudly cleared his throat. Now he definitely sounded awkward. “Is he… Is he handsome?”

Levi didn’t believe his ears. Was he hearing it correctly?

“What the fuck Erwin?”

“He sounded handsome, that’s all,” his friend said. If Levi didn’t know Erwin better, he’d say that the man sounded petulant _._ “You found love for yourself after all, maybe I should try my luck too an-“

Levi heard Erwin’s laugh and curtly ended the call, not wanting to hear what else Erwin wanted to say to him. He took a deep breath. All in all, his conversation with Erwin went much better than he anticipated. It was good to know that his friend got his back. Levi glanced at the window and noticed that rays of sunshine began appearing on the horizon. He was surprised that it was morning already. Although, this night was so crazy, it felt like an eternity passed since he was trying to convince Hange to get away from the storm. Levi felt so tired, but he knew he couldn’t rest just yet. For starters, he still needed to ask Mike to change directions. With that in mind, Levi called out to the man.

“Are you finished?” Mike asked as he returned to the cabin.

“Yes, thank you,” Levi returned Mike’s phone. “But I need another thing from you. I know it’s wrong to ask this much of you and-“

“Cut that shit, Levi,” Mike said a little irritatingly. “Whatever you need, I’ll do my best to help you. That’s what friends are for, right?”

For a moment, Levi was surprised because of Mike’s words but he quickly pulled himself together. It came to him as a bit of a shock, but now Levi realized that Mike was right. He respected the man and knew he could easily trust him. He didn’t think about it before, but he liked the crew of Sea Splash (even Gelgar, when he wasn’t drunk and obnoxious), they were good people and yes… Levi did consider them his friends. And friends could always rely on each other in the times of need.

“Yes, you’re right,” Levi admitted finally, although he still sounded a bit awkward. He cleared his throat. “But what I need is still too much, I’ll understand if you refuse.”

“Just tell me already.” Mike said impatiently.

“I need you to change the course. Get us off somewhere else. Not in New York.”

“That’s all?” Mike asked, confusion painting his features. “The way you talked I thought you wanted to me help you hide the body or something.”

“That’s not all,” Levi said slowly. Seeing Mike’s alarmed expression, he hastily continued. “You’ll have to leave the ship behind. My boss Erwin would take all of you home safely instead.”

“What will happen to Sea Splash? Would you… would you destroy it?”

“What? No! The ship will be fine.”

“Oh,” Mike said with relief. “Then it’s okay with me. Now wait a minute,” Mike reached into the cabinet next to him and began searching for something there. A moment later, he grabbed the map from there and laid it out before Levi. “Where exactly do you want me to moor?”

“You agreed so easily?” Levi asked. Mike just nodded, not taking his eyes of the map. “And you don’t want to know why I asked you to do it?”

“I don’t think I should.” Mike replied, looking Levi in the eyes. “I’ve actually noticed that something weird is going on a while ago. You are a strange bunch, that’s for sure, and you don’t look like simple tourists.”

That came as a surprise for Levi. Now that he thought about, he didn’t know what _exactly_ Moblit had told the crew of Sea Splash to convince them to take him and Hange on board. However, Nanaba and Gelgar haven’t asked him or others about it and Levi didn’t even think how weird the three of them looked to other people.

“Nanaba and Gelgar also noticed that?”

“Nah,” Mike waved his hand dismissively. “They were too interested in your and Hange’s relationship to focus on something else.”

“My _what_ with Hange?”

“Well, your constant bickering and teasing are delightful,” Mike said, smirking at Levi. “And then there are these little looks and touches, which always make both of you blush. _And_ don’t get me started on all of that sexual tension! These last weeks, it’s the only thing I’m able to smell. Well, that and Gelgar’s stench after he drank too much.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Levi tried to play it cool, but he could feel his cheeks redden. It was still dark in the cabin, so he thought he did a good job at convincing Mike that he was wrong and that Levi definitely was _not_ flustered, but the knowing smile on Mike’s face told him otherwise.

“If you say so,” Mike said. Then he again focused his attention on the map and Levi was thankful that their previous conversation had been forgotten. “We would be passing New Scotland soon, so I can moor there. Is this good enough?”

Levi glanced at the place on the map, where Mike was pointing. He wasn’t particularly familiar with the area, but it far enough from New York and that was all that they needed.

“Yes, the place is perfect. Thank you,” Levi said sincerely.

“My pleasure,” Mike smiled at him and patted his shoulder.

“Could you text the coordinates to the number I just called? So my boss knows where we are and can send his people there?”

Mike nodded. Levi wanted to go, he had done everything he needed, after all. But then he remembered Erwin and his stupid request. Levi cursed under his breath and opened his mouth, already preparing himself for the amount of embarrassment he would feel.

“Actually…” he began uncertainly. “Another small thing: the man you spoke with-?”

“The one with deep and sexy voice?” Mike immediately asked and Levi wanted to _die._ He really _really_ didn’t want to have this conversation.

“That means… you liked him?”

“Hm, depends,” Mike scratched his chin. “Describe him to me.”

“Well, he’s tall and blond. Has blue eyes.” Levi cringed inwardly at his awkwardness. “Does he seem like your type?”

“If he’s tall blonde with blue eyes, how can he not be my type?” Levi decided not to answer that, because apparently his _type_ were weird bespectacled scientists.

“Text him or something. He is interested in you as well.” Deciding that his role as a matchmaker was done, Levi finally made his way to the exit.

Levi entered his cabin, planning to catch at least a few hours of sleep. It was probably the longest night in his life and he felt tired to the bone. When he opened the door, however, he saw that Moblit wasn’t sleeping. At the sound of opened door, Moblit raised his head. His face immediately became angry. Fuck, Levi had actually forgotten that they had a fight earlier. Moblit was silently watching Levi. The distrustful look in his eyes remained Levi of their first meeting.

“Sorry, I was an asshole before.”

“Did that change?” Moblit asked him. Levi was surprised at how cold he sounded. He would never think that quiet Moblit, who always fret after Hange like a mother hen, could sound so angry. Although, Levi had to admit – he more than deserved that.

“I hope it did.” Levi took a seat on his bed and signed, thinking what he should say next. “I said things that I probably shouldn’t have and I want to apologize for that. And I… I also made a plan on how to help Hange escape?”

“You did?” Moblit asked. His face still remained neutral and his eyes stared at Levi warily, but his voice had a tint of hope in it.

“Yes, I’ve asked Mike to change course a little, so now we’ll be arriving in New Scotland instead of New York. My friend Erwin will send his people that will take you and the others away, while Hange and I will hide somewhere, laying low for a while. Erwin agreed to provide protection for everyone, including your co-workers. I’ll try to make it look like I’ve kidnapped Hange instead of her running away, so hopefully Zeke wouldn’t touch your friends."

It took a while for Moblit to reply. For a few minutes he just kept staring unbelievingly at Levi. It honestly started to freak him out, but then a small smile appeared on Moblit’s face.

“You think it can work?” Moblit asked tentatively.

Levi slowly nodded and Moblit’s smile immediately widened. He came closer to Levi and gave him a brief but tight hug.

“Thank you!” he said sincerely, letting go of Levi.

“I didn’t do it for you, you know,” Levi mumbled.

“Oh, I do know,” Moblit went to lay down on his own bed. Even from here, Levi could see the happy smile on his face. “I didn’t think I would ever say that, but… Hange’s lucky to have you.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Levi turned away from him, also laying down. “Anyway, we really need to rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow, this chapter is waaaay longer that i anticipated  
> anyways, i would love to know what you think about the story so far - do you like it, do you not? please, tell me in the comments!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long wait, my uni got me a little too busy :o  
> also this chapter is probably twice longer than usual, i wasn't expecting that)  
> anyways, thank you for all the feedback i've been getting, it really keeps motivated to continue this fic!!  
> and enjoy your reading!

The first thing Levi saw upon waking up was Eren Yeager’s excited and smiling face. Which was not only a very unpleasant view, but also very confusing. How did Eren even get here? They were still on a ship in the middle of the ocean, when Levi got to bed. For just how long had he slept?

“Good morning, captain!” Eren loudly greeted him, when he saw that Levi had opened his eyes. Levi cringed at the volume of Eren’s voice. He wasn’t awake enough to deal with it (although Levi wasn’t sure he would ever be awake enough to deal with overexcited Eren).

“How did you get here?” Levi asked, slowly sitting up on a bed.

“We just arrived by a helicopter,” Eren explained. “Mikasa and Armin left to get you a car and in the meanwhile I decided to wake you up.”

A car? That was a good idea, Levi hadn’t thought about it. He and Hange would need to somehow get away from here. Levi didn’t think of where exactly they would go, but this issue could probably wait. The first thing they needed to do was leave, everything else could be sorted out later. Another question was: where exactly were they now?

Pushing Eren aside, Levi got up and quickly exited the cabin. He looked outside and found out that they were already on a land. He saw a sunny empty beach. On the other side of it, stood a small helicopter.

“The others are packing their things,” Eren came to stand beside him. “We will leave as soon as Mikasa and Armin get back.”

“Good,” Levi nodded. “Who will be piloting the chopper?”

Eren made a face of disgust. “That idiot _,_ _Jean_.” He muttered angrily.

Levi rolled his eyes. He knew about Eren and Jean’s constant fighting. He didn’t know the reason for it, although he doubted they even had a serious one. Nevertheless, it was very annoying to watch. Especially when they ran out of words to yell at each and tried to start a real fight. One time Levi had to break them off and after the punishment they received, they didn’t dare to start another argument in Levi’s presence.

“Can I trust you not to start another fight?” Levi asked tiredly.

“You can always trust me!” Eren replied, his voice full of determination. “Of course, if I were you, I would never trust that horse-faced asshole, but I’ll do my best to keep my calm.

Levi signed and nodded. He supposed it should be good enough. Just when he wanted to turn around and walk back into the cabin, he saw a car approaching them. It stopped near the ship and a second later Mikasa and Armin walked out of it. Noticing Levi, Armin raised his hand in greeting. Mikasa completely ignored him and made her way towards the ship. Levi shook his head. That girl had no manners whatsoever. Which rather reminded him of himself, although he would never admit it. Especially to Mikasa.

Mikasa and Armin got onto the ship and walked up to Levi and Eren. Only now Levi noticed that both of them had a bucket in their hands. Levi took a peep of what it’s inside. Both buckets were full of red liquid. He raised his eyebrow questionably.

“It’s not human blood!” Armin was quick to assure him. “It’s pig’s.”

Levi didn’t know if that made it better. The question wasn’t whose blood they had, but _why_ they had it.

“Director Erwin told us to make the ship look like you’ve killed people here,” Eren explained, seeing Levi’s confusion.

 _Oh,_ Levi got it now. It was a very good and clever idea. Levi had to make sure to thank Erwin for his help. Without it, Levi wouldn’t be able to turn his plan into reality. Firstly, he forgot that he needed a car and he obviously didn’t think how exactly he would make Zeke believe that he had murdered the crew of Sea Splash. Although, Erwin definitely didn’t think all of it through, because one detail remained.

“What about the bodies?” he asked. “You could splatter blood everywhere, but for them to believe it was a murder, we need bodies.”

“We will take care of that as well!” Eren said with his usual enthusiastic smile.

“We will make it look like you’ve tossed the bodies into the ocean,” Armin explained. “Director told us it was unlikely that someone would really look into this, so I think this trick can work.”

“Yes, you’re right,” Levi said as he thought over their plan. Damn Erwin, he really did think of everything. “Good job,” he added.

His last words earned a pleased grin from Eren and a small smile from Armin. As usual, Mikasa’s face remained neutral. Levi didn’t expect anything else from her. She was too much like him, after all.

Levi left them to their work and went to see what Moblit and the others were doing. He checked their cabin to see if Moblit’s belongings were still there. Levi saw that Moblit had already packed his suitcase and he wondered how did he manage to do so without waking Levi up. Usually, he was a very light sleeper but he probably was too tired after tonight’s events. Just when Levi was ready to exit the cabin and search for Moblit elsewhere, he saw him entering the room.

“Oh, so you are already awake,” Moblit said with a smile. He behaved so much different from yesterday, when he was angry with Levi. Levi welcomed that change, he did like Moblit, he was a good man and Levi didn’t want to argue with him.

“Where is Hange?”

“She is still asleep.” Moblit answered. “Should I wake her?”

Levi shook his head. “There is no need for the two us to leave just yet, I still have some things I have to finish first.”

“Okay,” Moblit agreed. “The others have already left the ship to go to the helicopter. I came to grab my things and…” Moblit scratched his head nervously and looked away from Levi. “I wanted to thank you again.”

“There is no need for that.” Levi assured him.

“I know, but still. I said some mean things to you too. I was wrong, though. You are a good man.”

Levi didn’t agree with him on that, but he kept his mouth shut. He did some fucked up things in his life, but Moblit didn’t need to know about it.

Moblit took his suitcase and was ready to turn away and leave the ship. Before he did so, he looked at Levi again.

“Please take care of her.”

“I will.” Levi promised him. 

Reassured, Moblit gave Levi another smile and then left the ship.

Soon Eren, Mikasa and Armin were finished with their task. Examining the results, Levi couldn’t help but admit that the brats did a really good job. They arranged the bloodstains in such a way that it did look like a bleeding bodies were dragged out of the cabins and then thrown out into the ocean. There were blood splatters on a few walls and beds and if Levi didn’t know better, he would definitely think that someone had been shot there. Even to him, the ship started to look a little creepy.

Levi was impressed with their work and he told them so. At such high praise, even Mikasa showed a little pleased smile. Then they also left the ship and soon Levi watched how the helicopter raised up in the air.

Levi went to Nanaba’s room to check on Hange. She was still asleep, snoring loudly. Rolling his eyes at the display, Levi walked back to his cabin. There he took out his phone and checked the map. He visited Canada only a few times and wasn’t very familiar with this country. Looking at the map of the surrounding area, Levi got an idea. If his memory served him right, not very far from here, there was a place where he and Hange could stay, where he and Hange would be safe _._

After he was done with that, Levi grabbed the bag with his belongings and took a gun out of it. He really hoped he wouldn’t need it, but nevertheless he had to make sure that if needed, his gun was in perfect condition to fire.

He was just finishing checking his gun, when he heard quiet footsteps. He raised his head and saw Hange.

“Levi, thank god you’re alright!” she exclaimed and relief was clear on her face. A moment later, though, her eyes focused on the gun in his hands and the relief turned into suspicion. For a second Levi was confused, but then he saw a bright blood splutter on Moblit’s bed. And, of course, there was a gun in his hands. Even an idiot would have come to the same conclusion that Hange has.

“It isn’t what it looks like.” Levi quickly assured her.

However, Hange didn’t even look at him, instead her gaze was focused on Moblit’s bed.

“Where is he?” she asked and her voice was cold and angry. Her hands were clutched so tightly into fists, they trembled. “Where is Moblit?”

“Hange, he is fine,” Levi laid his gun down and tried to approach Hange. As he made a step towards her, she made two steps back. “I promise you, it’s not what it looks like.”

“Really?” Hange let out a bitter laugh. “So you didn’t murder everyone on this ship?” Levi opened his mouth to answer her, but Hange immediately cut him off. “Was it some sick Zeke’s game? Was it always supposed to end like this? No matter what I would have done? Did you plan to kill Moblit from the beginning?”

“Hange, I didn’t do it!” Levi shouted desperately. “Don’t you trust me?”

For a long moment, Hange just stared at him. She kept looking at him intently, as though studying him. Levi stood there patiently, giving her as much time as she needed. Finally, Hange looked away from him. She bowed her head.

“I really shouldn’t,” she whispered quietly.

Then the silence stretched over the room. Levi watched Hange, not knowing what to do. He wanted to make her understand, to explain everything, but he wasn’t sure she’d believe him. He wanted to approach her, but he was afraid she’d push him away. Levi felt as though they stood there for an eternity, but he remained glued to his spot, waiting for Hange’s next action.

“Do you promise me that Moblit is fine?” Hange asked, raising her head and looking Levi in the eyes.

“I swear it.” Levi replied fiercely.

Hange covered her face with hands. “I must be the biggest idiot in the world,” she muttered. “But I believe you.”

“Good.” Levi nodded.

He came closer to Hange and before she could react, he put his hands onto her waist, lifting her up and then tossing her over his shoulder.

“Levi!” Hange screamed in shock. “What the hell are you doing?!”

“Isn’t that obvious? I’m kidnapping you, four eyes.”

“What the fuck are you talking about? Have you lost your mind?” Hange continued to shriek. Honestly, her loud voice was starting to annoy Levi. However, a small part of him felt amused by the whole situation. It was a payback for all the times Hange teased him and made him feel like an idiot.

“Maybe I did.” He told her curtly.

He carefully carried Hange out of the room, making sure she wouldn’t hit her head on the threshold. For a while, Hange continued her outrage, screaming and hitting Levi’s back with her fists, but Levi just kept ignoring her and soon she surrendered and calmed down, only occasionally muttering some curses at Levi. 

Levi walked to the car. He slowly lowered Hange to the ground.

“Will you finally explain everything to me?” she asked.

“I will,” Levi agreed. “After you get in the car.”

Hange huffed, but obediently opened the door and sat on the passenger’s seat. Levi took the driver’s seat and started the engine.

“I didn’t know.” He said as he began driving down the sandy road.

“Huh? You didn’t know _what_?”

“Didn’t know where I was taking you. I thought…” Levi took a deep breath. His gaze was purposefully focused on the road. “I thought you were just a simple scientist whose assistant was worried about you and decided to hire an escort. I wasn’t aware… of what was waiting for you at the end of the journey.”

Finally, Levi chanced to take a look at Hange. She was staring at him wide-eyed and even her mouth was hung open.

“So, this whole thing…” Hange began slowly and uncertainly. “You are trying to…”

“To help you escape, yes,” Levi finished for her. He still couldn’t look at Hange and was thankful that driving the car gave him an excuse not to do it.

“Stop the car.” Hange said suddenly.

“What the fuc-” Levi began but Hange quickly cut him off.

“Stop the car, Levi.” She repeated, more forceful this time. “I can’t just escape, Zeke will find out and then my friends would get hurt, I can’t let that happen.”

“That’s not going to happen.” Levi assured her calmly, continuing to drive. “Erwin will take care of them. And Moblit is also safe, he left with the others this morning. Erwin will tell Zeke that I kidnapped you, so he wouldn’t think that you just decided to escape. I promise you that everything had been taking care of. Your loved ones are not in danger.” Levi paused, briefly glancing at Hange. She still looked confused and uncertain. “I hope that I can keep you safe as well.” He finished quietly.

“You shouldn’t have done this, Levi.”

“I wanted to.”

“No, you don’t understand,” Hange shook her head in frustration. “You don’t know what kind of person Zeke is, he is _extremely_ dangerous and you shouldn’t mess with people like him without a reason.”

“I have a reason,” Levi said firmly. He was honestly getting tired of this conversation. Why must Hange always complicate things? Couldn’t she just be happy he was helping her? Maybe a little grateful too? “I want to help you. And _I know_ that Zeke is dangerous but I don’t care. Dealing with dangerous people is my job so shut the fuck up and accept my help.”

Levi thought he already knew Hange, knew what to expect from her. But again she managed to surprise and confuse him. He expected her to be angry, _wanted_ her to be happy. Instead, Hange began to _laugh_. Levi stared at her dumbfounded.

“What the fuck is so funny about it?” he asked angrily. She was so fucking unpredictable.

“I’m sorry, sorry,” Hange said still giggling. “It’s just… it’s so _you._ You literally just told me to shut up! Noble saviors shouldn’t talk like that!”

“What the fuck, Hange? I’m many things, but noble _and_ savior are definitely not the words you should describe me with.”

“Oh, shush,” Hange said cheerfully. “Your cold attitude doesn’t fool me anymore. I know how kind and sweet you are on the inside.”

“And I know that you are full of shit.” Levi retorted which made Hange laugh even more. As Levi looked at her, laughing so carelessly, so happily, he was reminded about how much he missed seeing Hange like this. It felt good to see her like that and it felt even better knowing that Levi was the one who returned the happy expression on her face.

“I have another question,” Hange said after some time. She waited for Levi to node and then continued. “Your boss, why is he helping me? I mean, Zeke hired him, right? Then why had he decided to switch sides?”

“I asked him.” Levi replied simply. “And it wasn’t too hard to persuade him. He was actually very impressed with you. Said you are a genius.”

“So that’s my formula he is after?” Hange asked angrily. “I’m not going to give it to him, even if he helps me.”

“He wouldn’t ask for that.” Levi told her. “Erwin may be a manipulative and scheming son of a bitch, but it’s always for a good cause.”

“You seem to have a lot of trust in him.” Hange said, studying Levi’s face.

“He deserves it. You will like him too, after you get to know him. You both are too smart for your own good and love to put your noses where it doesn’t belong.”

“Oi, that wasn’t a very nice description,” Hange playfully punched Levi’s shoulder. “But probably an accurate one.”

Levi rolled his eyes at her and then focused his whole attention on the road. For some time, it was quiet. Levi glanced at Hange once in a while and she was wistfully staring out of the window, a small smile on her lips. Suddenly a question appeared in Levi’s head.

“What would you do?” He asked. Hange gave him a confused look and he elaborated. “If you truly got to Zeke’s lab, what would you do there? You wouldn’t give him the formula, that I’m sure of. So what was your plan?”

“I didn’t have any,” Hange replied, shrugging.

Levi widened his eyes. He looked away from the road to stare at Hange.

“You can’t be serious.”

“I am.” Hange said with an easy smile. “You are right, I would have never given him the formula. I planned on distracting him somehow, maybe destroying the lab or what not. But to do that I needed chemicals and I don’t know what he’s got in his super fancy laboratory. So, my plan was to improvise.”

“You are insane.”

Hange chuckled. “Yeah, people tell me that a lot. By the way, where exactly are you taking me? And where are we now?”

“We are in Canada. Erwin has a summerhouse in the north of the country.”

“Oh, a summerhouse?” Hange grinned. “Is your friend from Canada?”

“No, he’s just crazy rich and thus has houses practically everywhere.” Levi replied, earning a giggle from Hange.

“How long till we get here?”

“We probably wouldn’t arrive there till evening.”

“Oh, good,” Hange stretched out in her seat. “I can take a nap then.”

Hange turned her head to the window and the next time Levi glanced at her, she was already asleep. Levi looked at her sleeping face for longer than was probably appropriate (especially considering he was supposed to be focusing on the road and not wondering why Hange was smiling slightly in her sleep). With a deep sign, Levi turned his gaze ahead and watched the road.

Just as Levi predicted they arrived late in the evening. When they neared Erwin’s house, Hange whistled impressively.

“Your friend is really rich, huh?” With wide eyes she stared at the building in front of her. “When you told me about summerhouse, I pictured a cabin or something, but this thing is huge!”

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Levi grumbled. “Knowing Erwin, there is a big pool inside or some other shit, but not much else.” Levi gave a building a critical look. He has never actually been in this one, but Erwin’s houses were practically the same. “We’d be lucky if it has a bathroom.”

“Oi, don’t be so grumpy.” Hange playfully reprimanded him.

As soon as Levi stopped the car, Hange got out and practically ran to the door. Levi followed her at a more leisurely pace. There was one small thing that needed to be taken care of. He needed to break into the house. Walking to the door and taking out his picklock, Levi hoped that he was right and Erwin’s houses were actually the same and thus were not heavily secured.

Thankfully, Levi indeed was right and it wasn’t hard to open the door.

“Didn’t you tell it was your friend’s house?” Hange asked, hovering above his shoulder.

Levi rolled his eyes. “Doesn’t mean I have the keys to all of his houses.” He said, opening the door. “Don’t worry, he wouldn’t mind it.”

Just as he said these words, his phone began ringing. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the name of the caller. Naturally, he saw Erwin's name.

“Did you just break into my house?” Erwin asked as Levi picked up the phone.

“Yeah, I did.”

“Oh, good,” Erwin smiled. “That means I can turn off the safety alarm.”

“If you would be so nice.” Levi told him. He turned to look at Hange and nodded at her. Taking this as a permission to investigate the house, Hange hurriedly ran up the stairs. Levi watched her with a fond look. He was so concentrated on Hange, Levi didn’t even hear what Erwin was telling him.

“I’m sorry,” he said, shaking his head. “What were you saying?”

Erwin chuckled. “I asked how are you.”

“Everything seems to be fine. Now, at least. How are things on your end? Did the others arrive safely?”

“They did. Although, Professor’s assistant has been pestering me ever since he arrived. Apparently, she doesn’t pick up her phone.”

“Yeah, he can be like that,” Levi said with sympathy. He knew better than everybody, how much Moblit worried about Hange. “Hange probably left her phone on a ship. Maybe, she thinks that Zeke can follow her through it.”

“I was thinking about the same thing.” Erwin replied. “Well, now I can tell him to stop worrying so much. By the way, he asked me to pass out a picture to Professor. I’ll send it to you, okay? He said that she really needs to see it.”

“Sure,” Levi agreed. A second later, he got a message from Erwin. Curious as to what could be so important he immediately opened the picture. And saw a photo of Moblit. Hange’s ugly cat was snuggled on his chest. “She would love it.” Levi said, already imagining Hange’s reaction. She probably would be screaming at how cute the picture was.

“I’m happy to hear it,” Erwin said and even though Levi couldn’t see him, he knew that his friend was smiling. “What about you, though? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Erwin.” Levi said rolling his eyes. “You don’t need to worry.” To be honest, he was better than just fine. It was good to finally have a purpose again, after he spend two months wallowing in self-pity.

“Hey, I was just asking.” Erwin said. “Say, is the Professor near you?”

“No, she went to look around the house,” Levi replied a little confused. What was the point of Erwin’s question?

“Oh, great!” Erwin said cheerfully. “You can tell me then.”

“Tell you _what?_ ” Levi asked irritatingly.

“About Professor, of course! How is she and others things.”

“She is fine,” Levi replied, still not understanding the point of this conversation.

“No, I don’t mean _that_!” Erwin said frustratingly. “I mean, you can tell me _about her._ You know, talk about your feelings, share them with your old friend.”

“Have you been drinking, Erwin?” Levi asked in a flat tone.

“Of course, not! You just got me very curious. You have never taken an interest in someone. I want to know more about her, that’s all.” 

“But you’ve already seen her.”

“I did,” Erwin agreed. “But I want to know how _you_ see her.”

“I… I don’t understand what do you want to hear from me.” Levi told him truthfully.

“Well, tell me this: do you think she’s pretty?”

“Of course, she is pretty,” Levi said. “Pretty annoying.”

“Ah, I see that even if your heart has changed, your mind is still the same.” Erwin laughed.

“You talk like an idiot.” Levi told him. Then he saw that Hange was descending from the stairs. “I need to go.” He said to Erwin and quickly ended the call. He didn’t want Hange to hear the nonsense his friend was spouting.

“The house is great!” Hange said, as she walked up to him. “You were wrong, though. There is no pool. But there is a Jacuzzi!” Hange paused for a moment. If Levi didn’t know better, he’d say she was embarrassed about something. “Although, there is one problem. There is only one bedroom.”

Levi cursed. Of course, there would be only one bedroom. His luck was as shitty as always.

“I can sleep on the floor.”

“Don’t be stupid,” Hange countered. “If there is someone who should sleep on the floor, it’s me. You’ve already done too much to me.”

Levi rolled his eyes. “Is the bed big?”

“Well, I doubt you wouldn’t fit on it.” Hange told him.

“That’s not what I meant, four eyes,” Levi grumbled. “Is it big enough for two people?”

“I… well, it _is,_ but as I said-”

“Then we can share,” Levi cut her off. “We’re both adults, it’s not a big deal.”

“Well,” Hange scratched her head. It was probably a trick of light, but it looked like she had a slight blush on her cheeks. “You’re probably right.”

“Glad that we agree on that.” Levi walked past her. “If that’s settled, then let’s go to sleep. It’s been a long day.”

Running ahead of him, Hange was the first one to enter the bedroom. With a loud ‘yahoo’ she jumped onto the bed.

“Oi, four eyes,” Levi frowned. “You’ll dirty the bed. Take a shower first.”

“But, Levi!” Hange whined. “I’m so tired!”

“You’ve spent almost the whole day sleeping.” Levi argued. He went to the wardrobe in the corner of the room and looked for some spare clothes. Finding Erwin’s old t-shirt and shorts, he threw them at Hange. “Go take a bath or I won’t let you get on a bed.”

“Clean freak,” Hange stuck her tongue at him.

Levi rolled his eyes. She was such a child sometimes. But thankfully, Hange didn’t need more convincing. Taking the clean clothes, she went to the bathroom. Levi sat on a bed, waiting for Hange to come out. When she did, it was Levi’s turn to take a shower.

When Levi came out, he expected Hange to be asleep. However, he found her standing near the bedroom’s window. Coming to stand next to her, Levi looked out. The window was showing a nearby lake, which was partly obscured by trees. The sky was cloudless and the moon was shining brightly, surrounded by a myriad of stars. It was a beautiful sight and for a long moment Levi just stood there, admiring it with Hange. Then he gently touched her shoulder.

“Let’s go to bed.”

“Hm, yeah,” Hange nodded absentmindedly and followed Levi.

Just before Hange got under the blanket, Levi remembered the picture Erwin had sent him. He took out his phone, opened the message and tossed the phone to Hange.

“I’ve got something to show you.”

Hange grabbed the phone and intently looked at the picture. A big, happy smile immediately appeared on her face.

“Oh my god, this is the cutest picture ever!” she squealed with delight. “Look at my handsome boy!” She told Levi, zooming onto her cat and showing the photo to him. “Look at his cute little cheeks and his beautiful eyes and this absolutely adorable nose!”

“This is the ugliest cat I’ve ever seen.” Levi told her.

“Don’t you dare call my dear Machiavelli ugly!” Hange said, still looking at the picture with a smile. “I really miss him.” She said a little wistfully.

“Well, if everything goes well, soon you’ll probably go home to him.”

“Really?” Hange asked hopefully.

Levi nodded.

“Thank you, Levi,” Hange said, returning him the phone. “Not just for this but… for everything. You really did save me, in more ways than just one. I have already given up and was ready for all of this to end, but you… you returned me my hope. I could never thank you enough for that.”

“You don’t need to.” Levi told her simply. He laid down on the bed and turned on his side, facing away from Hange. What Hange just told him… Levi didn’t want to think about it. He couldn’t imagine Hange losing all her hope and will to live. It was simply too wrong. Hange was always so full of life, so positive and happy. Levi hoped she would never lose her hope again. He certainly would do everything in his power to not let that happen.

A moment later Hange joined him on the bed, getting under the covers. It was quiet for some time, however ten minutes later Hange began tossing and turning, huffing annoyingly each time she changed her position. For a while, Levi tolerated it, hoping that Hange would find the comfortable position and then finally calm down. Half an hour passed and Hange still wasn’t asleep. Not being able to take it anymore, Levi turned around.

“Can you stop?” he hissed at her.

“I’m sorry,” Hange said pathetically. “I just can’t sleep!” 

“Of course, you can’t. You’ve been sleeping the whole day.”

Hange didn’t reply to him and for a long moment the room was silent once again. Levi has already began thinking that Hange finally fell asleep, when she turned to face him. She was laying on her back now and one of her hands was slightly touching Levi’s side. For some reason Levi couldn’t convince himself to move away.

“Can I ask you a question?” she asked.

“You would ask me anyway.” Levi replied, rolling his eyes.

“You don’t have to answer that,” Hange said, unexpectedly serious. “But I really want to know. So,” she paused and took a deep breath. She looked straight into Levi’s eyes. “Why do you want to help me?”

“I hate people like Zeke.” Levi replied without thinking. It was partly truth and he hoped Hange would be satisfied with his answer.

She wasn’t.

“Is that the only reason?”

For a moment, Levi just silently stared back at Hange, thinking what he should say. He could lie, of course, and tell her that it really was the only reason. But looking at Hange so closely, studying her features, Levi felt _something_ in the air. Something that enabled him from lying, something that told him to stop being a coward and admit what he felt for Hange.

“I didn’t want to lose you.” He finally told her. His voice was a mere whisper.

At first, Hange didn’t say anything. The silence stretched out for so long, Levi thought that Hange didn’t actually hear him. However, he didn’t want to repeat his words, wasn’t sure he was able to. Suddenly, Hange turned to lay on her back, her gaze focused on the ceiling.

“When all of this would be over, do you want to go on a date?” she asked, still not looking at him.

“No.” Levi immediately told her.

That made Hange look at him. She tilted her head questionably.

“No?” she repeated.

“No,” Levi replied, more forcefully this time. “Hange, I didn’t decide to save you because of _that._ ”

“So you don’t have feelings for me?”

“I… I didn’t say that.” Levi admitted. “But I don’t want you to think you owe me something. It was my choice and I don’t want you to go on a date with me out of pity.”

“Out of pity?” Hange asked incredulously. “Do you really think I’m that kind of person?”

Levi looked at her more closely, studying her face.

“No,” he said with a sign. “I don’t think you are that kind of a person.”

“That’s because I’m not,” Hange told him. “I asked you on a date not because I felt like I have to, but because I like you, dumbass.”

It was Levi’s turn to be surprised. With wide eyed he stared at Hange, not believing what he had just heard.

“You like me?” he asked. His voice sounded small and unsure, _weak,_ but right now he didn’t care about that.

“Of course, I do,” Hange smiled softly. “Haven’t you noticed?”

Levi shook his head. Hange began to laugh.

“Levi!” she managed to say, when her laugher had subdued. “I’ve been flirting with you since our first meeting!”

“I’ve thought you behave like that with everyone.” Levi said, confusion written all over his face.

“Of course, I do behave like that,” Hange winked at him. “With the people that I’m attracted to.”

Levi again stared at Hange, looking at her intently, trying to see if she was telling the truth or not.

“You like me?” he asked again. The whole conversation made him feel weird. It wasn’t like him to talk about those things, _about feelings._ But for some reason Levi didn’t want Hange to stop. He wanted, _needed_ to hear her answer.

“Yeah, I do like you,” Hange gave Levi another soft smile, a smile that Levi loved so much to look at. “And you also like me, right?”

“I do,” Levi replied.

“Great!” Hange said cheerfully. “That means I can finally kiss you?”

“I…I wouldn’t hate if you do that.”

Still smiling, Hange slowly got closer to him. When their faces were millimeters apart, she closed her eyes. Levi also closed his eyes, waiting for Hange’s lips to touch his. When they finally did, Levi found out how Hange’s mouth felt against his. Her lips were chapped but soft, and when she kissed him, Levi could feel the gentleness in each move. Levi didn’t know that kisses could feel like that, he could never think that a simple touch of lips could be so delicate and soft. When they broke apart, he just stared at Hange, unable to think of anything to say. Hange stared back and if her expression was anything to judge by, she was just as affected by the kiss as Levi was.

“I don’t think I like you,” Levi finally said. Hange’s face immediately fell and Levi wanted to smack himself. He was so bad with words sometimes. “I mean… I feel something more than just attraction.”

“Oh,” Hange replied. Slowly her confused expression turned into a smirk. “Aren’t we moving a little too fast, Levi?”

Levi looked at her, slight panic painting his features. Did he say the wrong thing again? Did he manage to scare Hange away?

“I was just kidding!” Hange chuckled. “I’m feeling the same thing, don’t worry. We’re totally on the same page here.”

Levi frowned, looking at Hange with irritation.

“Also, you have to admit,” Hange continued, paying no mind to Levi’s reaction. “You’ve got extremely lucky this time.”

“I did?”

“Of course! We’re laying on a bed, so you didn’t have to stand on your tiptoes to kiss me.”

For a moment, Levi was confused. But then he remembered their conversation in Reykjavik. Immediately after that, he got a strong urge to smack Hange with a pillow and wipe that pleased smirk off her face.

“Shut up,” he growled at her.

“Make me.” Hange countered, a smirk still present on her face.

And so Levi did, grabbing her by the hair and bringing her close for another kiss. This one was deeper and longer and when they broke apart, Hange was breathing heavily. Levi looked at her disheveled hair and red lips, feeling immensely satisfied with himself.

“That was, um, a very good kiss,” Hange said when she could breathe properly again. “Did you like it?”

“Could have been better.” Levi told her and then turned away from Hange.

“Hey!” Hange’s voice was full of indignation. “That wasn’t very nice.”

“You should have known that already, four eyes,” Levi said. “I’m not a nice man.”

“Nonsense,” Hange hugged him from behind, holding him tightly in her arms. “You are the nicest man I’ve ever known. Attractive, too, but, sadly, not as attractive as my dear Machiavelli.”

“Did you just compare me to the philosopher or your cat?”

“Both?” Hange giggled.

“You are so weird.” Levi told her. However, he made no attempt to get away from Hange’s embrace. On the contrary, he placed his hands above hers, enjoying the feeling of her body so close to his. Surrounded by her warmth, Levi quickly drifted off to sleep.

When Levi woke up, the first thing he saw was Hange’s sleepy face. It was a little weird to look at her face without her ever-present glasses. Levi saw a stray hair on her face and that made him notice that Hange’s hair wasn’t up in a ponytail and he couldn’t remember if he had ever seen Hange look like that. She seemed younger this way, more innocent. However, her face was also too calm and it unnerved Levi a bit. Hange never looked calm. Either she was smiling excitingly or she was frowning, deep in her thoughts, but she never looked so peaceful. However, Levi continued to stare at her, he had never seen her so closely and he liked watching her without having to worry of someone noticing it. He liked looking at her, liked waking up next to her and maybe Hange was right about him moving too fast, but he wanted to spend his every morning beside her.

Levi didn’t know how much time has passed but soon Hange slowly opened her eyes.

“Hey,” she whispered, her voice hoarse from the sleep.

“Hi.” Levi answered just as quietly. Unable to resist it anymore, Levi gently removed the hair from Hange’s face, tucking it behind her ear. He let his hand rest on her cheek. Hange smiled and turned slightly so she could kiss his palm.

“Did you sleep well?” Hange asked.

“I can’t remember the last time I’ve slept so good.” Levi told her truthfully.

They continued to look at each other, enjoying the other’s presence until suddenly Hange’s stomach loudly rumbled.

“Oh, sorry,” she sheepishly said. “Looks like I’m a little hungry.”

Levi rolled his eyes, getting up from the bed. “There is a town nearby. I’ll drive there and bring back some food.”

“Ohh, can you bring me some ice cream? Chocolate with mint leaves are my favorite.” Hange tried to give Levi her best attempt at puppy eyes, however, he seemed completely unfazed.

“I’m going to buy only necessary things.”

“Pretty please?” Hange wasn’t ready to give up so easily. “I’ll give you a kiss for that?”

“You can’t manipulate me so easily, four eyes.”

Hange looked down in disappointment. A second later, though, she got a new idea. She was still laying on a bed and she stroked the most seductive pose she was capable of.

“And what if,” Hange dropped her voice to an alluring whisper. She looked absolutely ridiculous. “I’ll take a shower while you are gone?”

“Chocolate with mint leaves? I’ll look around for it.” Levi replied immediately.

Hange rolled her eyes, it was way too easy to manipulate him.

Levi was quickly done with grocery shopping and an hour later, he was already parking the car near Erwin’s house. It didn’t take him long to buy everything he needed and most of the time Levi spent looking for Hange’s stupid ice cream.

The first thing he noticed upon entering the house was how quiet it was. He was gone for an hour so he expected Hange would already be waiting impatiently for him. It didn’t seem to be the case and after he listened closely, Levi could hear that the shower was still running.

Pleased, that Hange was finally paying so much attention to her personal hygiene, Levi busied himself with putting the food in the refrigerator. When he was done, he sat down at a leather couch in Erwin’s way too big living room and waited for Hange to come out. Five minutes passed, then ten. When he spent twenty minutes waiting, Levi got impatient. He got up from the couch and headed to the bathroom. What Hange was even doing there for so long?

However, when Levi got to the second floor, he saw that bathroom’s door was slightly opened. The shower was still running and slowly Levi made his way towards the bathroom.

“Hange!” he called. He waited and then waited some more, but still he got no reply. Was Hange deaf as well as blind, he thought irritatingly. Then he thought of another reason why Hange wasn’t answering. But this one was stupid and Levi quickly dismissed it. Although, he couldn’t stop the slight tremor of his hand when it reached the door handle. Slowly Levi opened the door. And his worst fears had come to life, because when he looked inside the room, it was empty. Even worse than that, upon closer inspection Levi could see a speck of blood on a shower door. He felt his own blood ran cold, all of this could mean only one thing – someone had taken Hange away, snatched her from right under his nose. But _how_ did Zeke manage to find them so quickly? They were supposed to be hidden here, Hange was supposed to be safe, _he_ was supposed to keep her safe.

Levi couldn't look away from a shocking display in front of him. His eyes continued to stare at a single speckle of blood in otherwise pristenely clean room. When the initial shock faded, Levi became angry. He clunched his hands tightly into fists.

" _Fuck_." He growled furiously, overwhelmed with frustration.

He wouldn't let Zeke get away with that. Whenever he was, whenever he was hiding Hange, Levi wouldn't rest until he finds this place. And when he finds it, he would go there and he would make sure that Zeke pays for everything, for every harm he had caused Hange.

With the last look at the damned blood splutter, Levi turned around and left the room, full of anger and determination.


	9. Chapter 9

Hange slowly opened her eyes. She tried to look around but her head was hurting so viciously it was hard to focus on anything, especially without her glasses on. Groaning and wincing in pain, she raised her head and took a long look at her surroundings. Of course, everything was blurry and Hange couldn’t see that much but even with her bad eyesight Hange could swear she has never seen that room before. It was big and spacious, with brown walls and creamy ceiling. The bed she was laying on was large and comfortable, Hange couldn’t remember the last time she slept on such soft bed. The room looked too luxurious for Hange’s taste and she struggled to remember how she managed to get here.

Trying to remember the past events made Hange’s head hurt even more but she was never the one to give up that easily. With fierce determination she searched through her memory. She remembered running away with Levi and then arriving at his friend’s house. Then they were laying on the bed, so close to each other and, _oh_ , Levi told her he had feelings for her. Then they had kissed and that was such a _good_ kiss, gentle and passionate at the same time. Levi was looking at her softly and maybe Hange’s mind was playing tricks on her, but she could swear she saw a small smile on his lips. Thinking about Levi brought a smile on her lips as well, but Hange quickly stopped herself. She needed _to focus_ and stop thinking about Levi’s beautiful grey eyes or his soft black hair, which made Hange’s fingers twitch with desire to touch it. She definitely needed to stop thinking about Levi’s voice, _so husky and deep._ And certainly it wasn’t the time to remember their kiss, how Levi’s lips moved so perfectly against hers, how kissing him felt so _right,_ so _natural_ that Hange thought she could and _should_ keep kissing Levi until the end of times, until all stars burn out and there was nothing else except her and Levi, laying side by side and basking in each other’s presence.

Hange furiously shook her head, clearing her thoughts. _Now was not the time_. She tried to remember what happened after she and Levi had fallen asleep. Right, she woke up and the first thing she saw was Levi’s face. His grey eyes were watching her, staring at her and Hange felt somewhat shy. She wasn’t used to be looked at so intensely, to have someone’s undivided attention. Truth be told, this new feeling was good, no scratch that, it was much better than just good, _it was amazing._ Hange couldn’t remember a person, who had intrigued her at least half as much as Levi had. Hange couldn’t remember when was the last time she felt so strongly about someone. Sure, she had friends and she loved all of them dearly, but Levi. Levi was different, he was so very different from all the people Hange knew. He looked so cold and emotionless, _unobtainable,_ but deep down he was so gentle and sweet, _so kind._ Levi was an enigma and Hange always liked solving mysteries.

At least, that was the lie she tried so hard to make herself believe in. She was trying to convince herself that all of it was just that, her wanting to understand Levi. But the more she observed him, the more Hange spent time with him, the harder it became to believe that lie. She was falling for Levi and falling _fast._ And she had the worst timing ever! She had so little time left before she would get to Zeke and she knew she wouldn’t get out of it alive. Whenever she would do, the end would be the same and Hange was sure of it. She made her peace with that, or at the very least she tried to. Of course, it was hard to leave her friends behind and her heart was breaking every time she saw a sad expression on Moblit’s face, but she kept telling herself it was for the right cause. She was protecting her loved ones and to her their lives were more valuable than her own. And then Levi came. And that infuriating asshole, who was rude and caring at the same time, showed Hange what she was missing her whole life. Showed her a feeling she had never knew. Truthfully, she knew it was wrong to fell in love with Levi. He was her enemy, right? He was going to give her to Zeke and Hange was sure her feelings could never be reciprocated. 

But _then_ it turned out that Levi wasn’t aware what was going on. And even worse than that, after finding out what Hange has done, what she has created, he didn’t turn away from her. No, instead he decided to _save her_ , even though it meant putting his own life in danger.

Hange cursed, gripping her head in frustration. She was getting distracted, _again._ She needed to understand where she was now and for that she needed to remember what had happened before she found herself on a soft bed in a strange room. She tried to recall what happened after she woke up. She remembered laying in bed, _another bed,_ the one in the house of Levi’s friend. Then, _oh right,_ she got hungry and Levi decided to drive into town to bring them some food. And what happened next? Oh, she promised Levi to take a shower, had she fulfilled her promise? Probably not, because Hange remembered laying in the bed alone, so after Levi had left, she must have fallen asleep again. She woke up to the sound of a door opening. Hange panicked and hurried to the bathroom, turning on the shower even before she had even taken off her clothes. She didn’t have a chance to get into the shower, though, because suddenly she heard someone’s footsteps. Slowly they were getting closer and closer until they reached the bathroom. In the next moment, the door opened and Hange felt uncertainty wash over her. Why was Levi entering the bathroom? Yesterday she joked about him moving too fast, but there was some truth to it – she wasn’t ready to bring their relationship on that level just yet. Of course, she enjoyed kissing him and being close to him but doing something more intimate so quickly made her a little uncomfortable.

She wanted to turn around and make some joke or to simply tell Levi to go away, when suddenly a hand gripped her waist. A hand that was definitely larger than Levi’s. With panic quickly sweeping through her, Hange tried to get away, but whoever was holding her, they were strong. Hange raised her hand, wanting to elbow her assailant in the face, but her hand was quickly intersected and then it was painfully pinned to her back. Hange’s body was pressed tightly to the shower door.

“Don’t move.” A deep voice told her.

Of course, Hange didn’t obey and even with her body trapped in such a tight hold, she continued to thrash violently, trying to escape. Oh, that was probably the reason why her head was now hurting so much. Because as she continued to struggle, her assailant grabbed her head by the hair and then slammed it hard into a shower door.

Hange touched her forehead, testing her theory. And she was proven right when her hand came in contact with a patch. Well, at least someone had taken care of her wound, that was probably a good sign. Maybe she wasn’t in the enemy’s hands after all? Although, who else would want her?

Frustrated that her speculation got her nowhere, Hange took another look around the room. And only then she noticed a box on the bedside table. She took it in her hands and slowly opened it. Inside there were some clothes and small black case. Grabbing the case and opening it, Hange saw a pair of glasses inside. Their frame was rectangular, so it definitely wasn’t hers. However as she tried them on, Hange was surprised to find out that they fitted her prescription perfectly. With her newfound vision, Hange again scanned her surroundings. The room was still unfamiliar and it gave Hange no clue as to who could own it.

Then Hange turned her attention to the clothes inside the box. There laid her favorite yellow shirt and white pants. Hange stared at them in bewilderment. She didn’t take those clothes with her on the journey, so that meant… That meant that someone had broken into her apartment. And they not only rummaged around for her clothes, someone had also managed to find the prescription for her glasses and then order a new pair for her. Hange felt a shiver ran down her spine. Whoever that was, they’ve gotten close to her. _Too close._

Only one person came to Hange’s mind, but she tried to brush that thought away. That was impossible, Zeke couldn’t get to her, Levi made sure of that. But still… Hange couldn’t think of anyone else who would try so hard to get to her.

Well, there was only way to find out, Hange thought with determination. She got up from the bed and headed towards the door. She decided to go and find the bastard who kidnapped her.

To Hange’s surprise, she managed to easily open the door. She thought it would at least be locked, but it clearly wasn’t the case. Hange wrenched the door open. And was met with two bewildered and confused gazes.

In front of her stood two men, one was blonde and another one had black hair. Both of them were tall, taller than Hange, although the one with black hair was significantly taller. They seemed well-built and Hange had no doubt they could easily restraint her.

Although, they didn’t look like they were going to fight her.

“Professor?” the blonde one tentatively asked.

Hange immediately recognized that voice. It was the man who attacked her in the shower. The man who had taken her away. Although, Hange imagined him differently. Firstly, she was thinking of a man, large and scary-looking, maybe with lots of scars on his face, but the person in front of her, _the boy in front of her,_ however tall and broad he was, had a pleasant looking face and was probably only in his early twenties.

“Professor?” he repeated, breaking Hange out of her thoughts. “You should change your clothes. Mister Zeke is waiting for you.”

Hange looked down and only now realized she was still wearing the clothes Levi had given her last night. Was it last night, though? She had no idea how much time has passed.

Then Hange processed the boy’s next words. _Zeke was waiting for her._ Shit, Hange thought. Sometimes she hated to be right.

She nodded at the two young men and returned to her room. A part of her wanted to go to Zeke in an old t-shirt and shorts, just to spite him, but the house was cold and she felt goosebumps on her naked legs.

A couple of minutes later she reemerged from the room. The two men were still there and when they saw her exiting the room, they started to move.

“Follow us, please,” the boy with black hair said. “Mister Zeke wants to have a dinner with you.”

“It’s time for dinner already?” Hange asked.

“Yes. You’ve been unconscious for almost a day,” the blonde one explained. “I’m sorry about this, by the way.” He gestured to her forehead.

“Don’t worry,” Hange waved her hand. “I’ve had worse.” And considering that Zeke finally had her in his arms, Hange suspected something much worse was waiting for her in the future.

The man looked at her skeptically, but he kept quiet and the rest of the way was made in silence. While Hange walked through the corridors of the house, she couldn’t help but marvel at her surroundings. Zeke may be an evil and cruel man, but he knew how to decorate the house. The walls were adorned with beautiful art-pieces and all around them Hange could see countless history artifacts, encased in glass boxes. For some reason, Hange doubted they were replicas.

Soon Hange reached the dining room. Just as the rest of the house, it looked luxurious. The walls were painted deep green and the floor was grey. In the middle of the room stood a big table. At the one end of it sat Zeke. He was seemingly engrossed in some book, but the moment Hange’s foot stepped into the room, he closed it with a loud bang.

“Professor!” he cheerfully said, widening his arms into a welcoming gesture. “It is so good to see you!”

Hange honestly couldn’t say the same and she barely restrained herself from sneering at the man. She managed to keep her cool, though, she needed to stay calm. Who knows what Zeke can do to her.

She slowly approached the table. Zeke’s smile faded when he noticed a patch on her forehead.

“I’m so sorry about his actions,” Zeke said, pointing to the blonde man who was now standing behind Hange. “I gave both of them simple orders: to bring you here without harming you. But as you can see, he disobeyed me.”

“I’m fine. It doesn’t hurt anymore.” Hange giggled awkwardly as she took a seat across from Zeke. She didn’t like the tone of his voice. Zeke didn’t sound disappointed, he sounded _angry._ And maybe the boy had hit her, but in Hange’s opinion he didn’t deserve a punishment. Especially a punishment from Zeke, as Hange could only imagine how cruel they could be.

“I still want to apologize on his behalf,” Zeke told her firmly. However, with a motion of his hand, he sent the two men away. Then his expression suddenly changed. If before there was an angry scowl, now his face looked almost sorrowful. “By the way, please accept my deepest condolences. Believe me, when I hired that man, I had no idea it would end in such tragedy. I thought that Erwin Smith was a reliable man, he seemed capable enough, but as it turned out he couldn’t even keep his own subordinate in check. Well, we are lucky that we managed to at least get you out of this vile man’s grasp.”

For a second Hange was confused. What the hell Zeke was talking about? Why did she need his condolences and what tragedy had occurred? But then it dawned on her – Levi’s plan must have worked and Zeke was certain that Levi had killed everyone and then escaped with her. Hange felt relieved, her friends were safe and if Zeke now had her that meant that Levi was safe too.

“I promise you,” Zeke continued. “I promise, Professor Hange, that I would find this man, this Levi Ackerman, and I would make him pay for making you suffer.”

“Don’t do it.” Hange said, a bit too hurriedly. Zeke raised his eyebrow. “I know him, he’s too dangerous. You should leave him alone and hope he doesn’t find you.”

Personally, Hange hoped that Levi wouldn’t be able to find her. He was fast and strong and smart, but in the end he was just one man and Zeke probably had at least a small army at his disposal. If Levi managed to get himself out of this mess, Hange wished he would get out of it for good.

“My people are capable enough,” Zeke countered. “And your assistant’s death should be avenged. Isn’t that what you want?”

“I…” Hange couldn’t think of what to say. She knew she should agree with Zeke, so he wouldn’t get suspicious, but she also wanted to keep Levi safe. “How did you manage to find me?” Hange asked, trying to change the topic and also wanting to know the truth.

“I have someone spying on Erwin Smith,” Zeke whispered to her as though it was the biggest secret in the world. He had a big pleased smile on his face. “She isn’t very close to him, but she managed to find out where he had sent his team to investigate the murders. I’ll admit that after that we lost you for a while, but then we found out what car Levi Ackerman had taken and it was easy to find you.”

“Oh.” Was all Hange could say. So Zeke was powerful enough that he could just insert his people into organizations as secretive as Levi’s boss had? Hange felt stupid for hoping she could ever escape this man.

“Ah, well, let’s not talk about sad things!” Zeke exclaimed. “We should start our dinner. You must be starving!”

Hange wanted to disagree, she didn’t need Zeke’s fancy meals, but at the mention of food her stomach grumbled loudly. _Fucking traitor,_ Hange thought furiously as Zeke began to laugh. He called his cook and a minute later the large table was full of all kinds of food.

Reluctantly, Hange took a plate of lasagna. Just as she took her first bite, she couldn’t help but admit that it was fucking delicious. Hange was sure she had never eaten anything better than that. Fucking Zeke, people as evil as him didn’t deserve such tasty food.

While Hange was busy devouring her lasagna, Zeke just sat there, watching her.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” Hange asked him.

“Oh, no, no,” Zeke protested. “It’s all for you. You are a dear guest, so please enjoy your meal.”

A dear guest? Hange wanted to laugh. Who was Zeke trying to fool? She was a captive here not a fucking guest.

Soon Hange was done and the servants took away her plate.

“You aren’t hungry anymore?”

Hange shook her head.

“Great!” Zeke clasped his hands. “That means I can finally show you my laboratory.”

He quickly rose from his seat and began walking. Feeling as though she didn’t have much of a choice, Hange followed him.

Zeke led her through a couple set stairs and long corridors. Hange couldn’t believe how large the house was, it looked as though she was inside some kind of maze.

“Welcome!” Zeke gestured wildly as they reached their destination.

For a long moment Hange was speechless. The laboratory she worked at, the one at her university, was fairly large. It was considered one of the most modern and well-equipped laboratory in the whole Europe. But Zeke’s lab… it was huge. It took the whole floor of Zeke’s ridiculously big house and even from afar Hange could see that it contained the most up-to date equipment. Hange contemplated how much she could achieve with resources like that. No, scratch that, she wondered how much _the whole humanity_ could achieve if every bright mind out there had such equipment. They could cure cancer or reverse cells aging. They could help millions of people and yet…

And yet Zeke was just hiding all of this in his secret laboratory, too greedy to share it with the rest of the world. Hange felt another surge of hatred towards him.

“Do you like it?” Zeke asked her. He didn’t notice the disgust that was so clear in her gaze. Or perhaps he simply didn’t care. “We have everything you need.” Zeke added when the silence stretched for too long.

“Everything?”

“Yes,” Zeke said proudly. “I’ve been to your lab back at the university. I’ve inspected it thoroughly and I am confident that my lab has everything your lab does. And even more.” He finished with an arrogant smirk.

So not only had Zeke invaded her apartment, but he also went to her laboratory? Hange’s favorite place in the whole world, where she worked and experimented, putting her soul into every research and idea? Hange wanted to punch Zeke, she wanted to do it so bad her hands were practically itching. However, her hands were also itching to go and inspect Zeke’s lab, to experiment with every bit of equipment and chemical compounds he had. It was difficult to focus on her hatred towards him, when the lab of her dreams was literally within her reach.

“Are you excited to start your work?” Zeke placed his hands on her shoulders and whispered his question in her ear. Hange shuddered at the closeness between them. She hurriedly took a step back.

“Am I excited to recreate my formula which takes away the people's free will?” Hange laughed bitterly.

“Oh, don’t try to fool me, Professor,” Zeke smiled sweetly at her. “I may not be a genius like you but I am a man who loves and treasures knowledge. And I know this feeling, that rush of adrenaline when you discover something new. It’s a feeling you can’t compare with anything. I envy you, really, I can only imagine how good it must feel. To know that you are able to invent something like this. So don’t lie to me, Professor, you knew what you were doing. You knew and you couldn’t stop yourself because you _loved it._ You wanted to finish that experiment just because you wanted to see if you can. Am I not right, Professor?”

Hange turned away from Zeke, away from his knowing gaze. She hated to admit it, but he was right, every single word was true. Hange knew what she was doing, knew that it was wrong but she couldn’t stop. However immoral her discovery was, it still was _her_ discovery, something she had created. And when that student accidently walked in, the one who breathed in her gas, Hange knew she should have stopped him, she should have locked the laboratory beforehand but… her desire to find out if her formula had actually worked was stronger than her conscience and her principals.

She was a disgusting human being and she truly was fooling herself if she thought she was in any way better than Zeke.

“It would take me a while to finish.” Hange said, ignoring her thoughts and finally entering the lab. She was losing her focus again, too preoccupied with her emotions. What she needed to do now was to find a way to get rid of Zeke. Maybe then she could atone for her sins. “Just as I told you, I didn’t write down the formula and I don’t remember the exact components. As you know, I’ve also lost my assistant. And I don’t have any test subjects, so as I said,” Hange took a deep breath and looked Zeke straight into his eyes, defiant and brave. “It may take a long time.”

“I believe I can help with that,” Zeke countered with an easy smile. “I’ve found a new assistant for you and-“

“No!” Hange cut him off immediately. “I refuse to work with anyone else. Moblit and I understood each other, we were a team and it took us a long time to perfect the style of our work. Whoever you have found, I don’t want them. Without knowing how I work, they would only slow me down.”

Zeke silently stared at her for a long moment. Hange could see how much he wanted to shut her up, to make her work with the conditions he had chosen for her. However, he also wanted to appear as civilized and polite as possible, and so he was forced to agree with her demands.

“Fine, if you want to work alone, so be it. But let me at least provide you with test subjects. Reiner, come here,” Zeke turned around and pointed at the blonde man. Only now Hange noticed that the two men followed them to the laboratory. At Zeke’s request, the tall blonde, Reiner, came forward.

“Reiner, you would be helping Professor with her experiments.” Zeke said and Reiner nodded, coming to stand next to Hange.

Hange stared at the scene with wide eyes. She couldn’t believe that Zeke decided to subject one of his subordinates to participate in her research. Zeke knew what she was creating, knew the effects of her formula and still he didn’t care. Even if Reiner had disobeyed his orders, he still didn’t deserve such cruel punishment. No one deserved to have their will be taken away from them.

“No,” Hange said adamantly. “He did nothing wrong and I refuse to experiment on him.”

“You refuse?” Zeke asked angrily. “Don’t forget yourself, _Professor,_ I may act all sweet and kind, but believe me I have a way to make you submit. Don’t tempt me to use it.”

“I don’t care what you can do to me,” Hange replied fiercely. “You can threaten me however you like but I will not harm an innocent person.”

“An innocent person, huh?” Zeke chuckled. “Alright, if you want it so much, I’ll find you someone who isn’t innocent. Just start working already.” Zeke said and headed towards the exit. “I believe you will find your way around the lab. If you have any questions, ask Bertolt or Reiner. And when you’ll get tired, tell them and they’ll escort you back to your bedroom.”

With that said, Zeke exited the lab and Hange could finally breathe in the sigh of relief.

“Well, should we get to work, boys?” she grinned at the two men beside her. Both of them looked at her confusedly, which made Hange’s grin grow wider.

She went to the shelf with the chemicals and took a long look at it. Hange tapped her chin, thinking what she should choose. Of course, she lied to Zeke and even without writing down her formula she still remembered it perfectly. But no way in hell she would willingly give Zeke what he wanted. No, Hange planned to create an entirely different compound. Again she thought of just blowing up the damned lab, but that plan probably wouldn’t work. She was sure that Zeke was watching her closely, even if he wasn’t here. No, Hange needed to make something that would resemble her formula, something that would fool even a smart man such as Zeke. Maybe she could use Amitriptylinum? It was known for its effects as an antidepressant, but it also could be used as a sedative. Of course, it would be hard to turn it into gas and Hange doubted it would have the same sedative effect she needed. Although, if she modified it just enough, maybe… Maybe it could work and she could use it as a sleeping gas. But even if she succeeded, there was another obstacle. For her plan to work out, she needed to find a way to make Zeke inhale her gas and she doubted he would be willing to test her formula on himself. Although, if she could manage to do it, to immobilize Zeke just long enough, then maybe she could escape. She knew all too well that Zeke could and probably would find her again, but she wasn’t going to give up so easily.

With that kind of thoughts in her mind, Hange set out to work. Whether, it would work out or not, the first thing she needed to do was to find out if she even could create a sleeping gas with Amythriptylinum as her main ingredient. And then she could think about her next step. One problem at a time, Moblit was always telling her, and this time Hange decided to actually listen to his wise advice.

She didn’t know for how long was she working, hunched over the table and furiously biting the pen, trying to come up with the right amount of each ingredient. It could have been only half an hour or maybe more than six hours, Hange couldn’t tell. She was so lost in her work that when a hand touched her shoulder, she jumped in her seat.

“I’m sorry,” It was Reiner’s voice and when Hange turned around, she saw his frowning face. “It’s getting late, don’t you want to rest?”

“I…” Hange looked around confusedly. She wasn’t tired in the slightest, but when she glanced at Bertolt, she could see that he was barely restraining himself from yawning. “Sure,” she smiled widely. “It was a long day, so all of us should go and have some rest.”

She got up from her seat and Bertolt and Reiner hurriedly followed her. The road to her bedroom was silent, as Hange was too concentrated on perfecting her formula and her companions didn’t seem to be awake enough to strike a conversation.

However, when Hange was opening a door to her bedroom, a hand suddenly grabbed her elbow. She looked up – it was Reiner who touched her. Hange raised her eyebrow at him.

“There is a room on the laboratory floor,” Reiner began, pointedly not looking at Hange. “Zeke calls it an experiment room and well… you can probably guess what its purpose is. What you don’t know is that there is a ventilation shaft between that room and the main one. And there is a switch that can change the flow of the air. So if you need it…”

Reiner didn’t finish but Hange didn’t need him to. So he was on her side? Why?

“Reiner, what the fuck are you doing?” Bertolt hissed, grabbing his arm.

“Shut up, Bertolt,” Reiner replied, snatching his hand back. “She saved me today, even though I’ve harmed her and even though I’m still her enemy. But despite all of this, she still chose to stand up against Zeke. I can’t help her escape, but the least I can do is this.”

Hange didn’t know what to say. If Reiner’s words were true, then… she found a way to save herself. If the trick with ventilation shaft would work, she could escape.

“Thank you,” Hange said, fiercely and earnestly. “If my plan works out, you should run away with me,” she told to both Reiner and Bertolt. She didn’t know why they have chosen to join Zeke and she knew nothing about them or their lives but she wanted to believe they were ready to change sides. Hange saw they weren’t like Zeke, Reiner and Berthold had the potential to become good people and Hange desperately wanted to help them.

“You need to rest, Professor,” Bertolt said to her, dragging Reiner away.

Hange was left alone in the dark hallway. For a few minutes she continued to look after Reiner and Bertolt’s retreating figures, but when their backs disappeared down the hallway, she entered her own room. With a deep sigh, she laid on her bed, not bothering to take a shower or change her clothes. She stared at the ceiling, trying to predict what the next day had in store for her.

Hange’s next morning began with loud and insistent knocking. Groaning loudly (she had too many things to think about to have a good night sleep) she put on her glasses, rose from her bead and swung the door open.

Just as she was expecting, it was Reiner and Bertolt who dared to wake her up.

“Mister Zeke wants you to begin your work,” Bertolt said in a lieu of explanation.

Hange signed and followed them. The road to the laboratory was already becoming familiar to her.

Hange didn’t know how much time she spent at the lab. There were no windows there and the only way she could measure the time was by paying attention when Reiner was bringing food to her. He had already done it twice, so Hange estimated it was already an evening. Hange was nearly done with her formula, certain that this time she had measured everything right, when her attention had been snatched away.

There was a sound of a door opening and she looked up, curious as to who had decided to visit the lab. Hange’s eyes widened when she saw Zeke walking in.

He came in with a pleased smile on his face and Hange got a sinking feeling in her stomach. If Zeke was that happy, it couldn’t mean anything good. There was someone walking behind Zeke, although Hange still couldn’t see who it was.

“Good evening, Professor,” Zeke exclaimed loudly. “I’ve finally managed to find a subject for your experiments. I remember that you didn’t want to experiment on an innocent person, so I’ve manage to get you the most disgusting person imaginable, a person you surely must hate with every fiber of your being!”

Zeke took a step to the side to reveal the person behind him. The moment Hange saw him, her eyes widened in shock, she was so taken aback that she dropped the test-tube she was holding in her hands. It fell down with a loud noise but Hange paid no mind to it.

She kept looking, as though, hypnotized at the person in front of her. She could’ve recognized him without her glasses on or with her eyes closed, just by listening to the sound of his voice. No, Hange didn’t even need to hear his voice, it was enough for her to hear his grunt of annoyance or a sigh of exasperation.

Still, she couldn’t believe her eyes, refused to believe that what she was seeing was true.

Because in front of her, standing only a couple of meters away, with the same bored and indifferent expression she was so used to, was Levi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> while writing this chapter, i wondered why i almost never write hange's pov, it's so much fun!  
> as always i would love to read what you think about my story so far!!!  
> hope you enjoy reading it!!


	10. Chapter 10

The eerie silence of an empty apartment had been abruptly ruined by Levi’s ringtone. Still in a daze, he accepted the call, not bothering to look at the name of the caller.

“Levi?” It was Erwin’s voice, although he sounded uncharacteristically frantic. “Levi, are you alright?”

“I am?” Levi replied, feeling a little confused. “Is there a reason I shouldn’t be?”

“Oh, so you’re fine,” Erwin let out a sigh of relief. “I got so worried, Zeke just contacted me and told me he has Professor Zoe, and I thought… well, I thought you must be wounded or worse, if you let him take her away.”

“I wasn’t there.” Levi said. His voice was full of bitterness and anger. Most of it was directed at himself for being so careless and leaving Hange alone. A large part of it, though, was reserved for Zeke, who _refused_ to leave Hange alone. “I left for an hour, to get us breakfast, but when I came back… Hange wasn’t there anymore.”

“You are not at fault here, Levi.” Erwin told him. He had been Levi’s friend for a long time and he knew that he most surely was blaming himself for what had happened.

“Of course, I am, Erwin!” Levi raised his voice. He couldn’t keep his emotions in check anymore. All the pain, frustration and worry were slowly taking over him. “I was supposed to keep her safe, I _promised_ that to her! And now she fuck knows where, taken by that fucker who can and probably would do anything to get what he wants.”

“Levi…” Erwin took a deep breath. “I understand your feelings and I get why you’re upset but you must think clearly. Come back to headquarters and there we can begin to plan our next actions.”

“But it would take almost a day to fly back to Berlin!” Levi protested. He needed to act immediately, with each passing moment Hange’s situation became more and more dire.

“It would,” Erwin agreed. “And you need this time to calm down. I know you worry about her, Levi, but your recklessness wouldn’t help in this case.”

“ _Fine,_ ” Levi finally surrendered. “I’ll come to HQ. But when I get there, you better have some plan of action, Erwin.”

“I’ll try my best,” Erwin smiled. “Be safe.” He added and ended the call.

Levi signed and turned around, walking out of the damned bathroom. Before he left, he took another look at the blood splatter on the shower door. It looked so wrong in the otherwise clean bathroom. It was a ridiculous thought, but Levi felt like it was mocking him, ridiculing his incompetence and constant inability to protect the people he loved. Levi cursed and shook his head. Erwin was certainly right and he really needed some time to clear his head.

Thankfully, when Levi arrived at the airport, he found out that the closest flight to Berlin was in a half an hour and there were still a few tickets available. Surprised that this time he managed to get so lucky, Levi bought the ticket and boarded the plane. Now all he had to do was to sit through a nine-hour flight and hope that he wouldn’t get mad with worry in the meantime.

During the flight, Levi couldn’t help but think of Hange. What was she doing now? Was she safe? Against all odds, Levi hoped she was. He tried to think of a way to save her, but couldn’t come up with anything solid. Zeke got her and Levi doubted it would be easy to get Hange back. It was obvious that Zeke was holding Hange somewhere, but Levi had no idea where it was. Maybe, Erwin got some ideas about that, he was working with Zeke before, right? And he still technically _was_ working with him, if Zeke had actually bought their lie.

So, there was some possibility that Erwin knew where Hange was held. Although, it still didn’t mean that it would be easy to save her. Hange would definitely be heavily guarded. Shit, Levi thought frustratingly. He was awful with plan-making. That’s why he preferred being a man of action, trusting Erwin’s plans and decisions. As always, his only hope was placed on Erwin. With that big brain of his, he must have already thought of a functional and without a doubt insidious plan.

When he arrived in Berlin, it was night already. However, Levi still decided to go the HQ. He didn’t even stop by his apartment to leave his suitcase, change clothes or take a shower. He was sure Erwin wasn’t asleep yet and was probably still in his office, waiting for Levi’s arrival. If he was not, then Levi would simply spend the night at the couch in Erwin’s office and then talk to him first thing in the morning.

Levi was buzzing with nervous energy, even if he tried to go to bed tonight, he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep, his mind was too loud and Levi doubted that he could shut it up until he was sure that they had found a way to bring Hange back.

Entering the HQ, Levi wasn’t surprised to find it empty. Well, at least it _seemed_ like it was empty.

Levi was quickly walking towards Erwin’s office. Assuming that there was no one at HQ except him, Levi didn’t bother to look where he was going and was very surprised when his torso collided with someone else’s chest.

Startled, he looked up. In front of him stood a woman, or more accurately _a girl_ , as she looked like she was in her early twenties. She was blonde and short, even shorter than Levi. Despite her small stature, Levi wouldn’t dare to call her delicate. The girl was looking at him with a mixture of irritation and boredom. Confused, Levi tried to remember her name. He was _sure_ he knew all of the stuff around here. All the assistants and new recruits and even janitors. But he had no idea who this girl was. Although, the strangest thing was he was also sure that he had seen her before. He couldn’t pinpoint where exactly, but he couldn’t shake that feeling.

“Would stop staring at me like that?” the girl said in a surprisingly deep voice.

“I…” Levi couldn’t think of anything to say to her. He still tried to recall where he had met the girl, but the more he thought about it, the more confused he became. After another second of silence, Levi decided to forget about it. The girl was probably Erwin’s new assistant or maybe a new recruit, and Levi had seen her at HQ before but just never paid attention to it. “Sorry,” Levi mumbled walking past her.

He can ask Erwin about it later, now he had more pressing issues.

Unsurprisingly, when Levi entered Erwin’s office, the man was still there. He was working at his computer, so focused on whatever he was doing that at first he didn’t even hear Levi entering.

It gave Levi a couple of seconds to observe the state of Erwin’s office and, of course, the state of his friend.

The office was clean enough, although Erwin’s table was covered in various sheets of paper, which seemed totally disorganized. It was a little weird, because usually Erwin’s table was neat and tidy, his papers and documents put into careful piles. The other thing that was out of ordinary was the amount of coffee cups. There were too many of them and they were littering the surface of Erwin’s big table. Sure, Erwin loved coffee and Levi knew that he started his every morning with a cup of the freshly brewed beverage, but Levi had never seen Erwin drink that shit from the vending machines. Not to mention that he had never seen Erwin consume it in such doses.

“Erwin?” Levi knocked on the door to get his friend’s attention. Erwin’s head immediately snapped up to look at Levi.

“Oh, you’re already here,” Erwin gave him a small and tired smile. He motioned for Levi to sit down.

Now that Levi was sitting so close to Erwin, only a table separating them, he could also notice how pale Erwin looked. There were dark circles under his eyes and Erwin looked tired. His posture, always so proper, was gone and he was slacking slightly in his chair.

“Is everything alright?” Levi asked.

“Yeah, yeah,” Erwin replied absentmindedly, his gaze returning to the screen of his computer. “I was just trying to figure it out…”

“What were you trying to figure out?”

“Zeke,” Erwin answered. “He has somehow found you and Professor Hange. Ever since he called me, I was trying to understand how he managed to do that. You said Hange threw her phone away, so he couldn’t use it to track you. And it couldn’t have been your phone, because in that case he would have probably listened in on our conversations and found out about our plan. So he didn’t use the phones. And I can think of only one possible explanation…”

“But you don’t like it.”

“I don’t like it,” Erwin agreed. “Because if Zeke wasn’t following your phones and I can’t think of another way, that means…”

“That means that there is someone here, in the agency. A spy.”

“Yes,” Erwin sighed tiredly. “I’ve spent the whole day trying to figure out who it can be. I’ve looked at each agent and recruit’s file a dozen times, trying to find someone suspicious.”

“Had any success?”

“Not particularly,” Erwin admitted, bowing his head in defeat. “There is only one person with possible motivation to help Zeke, but as I said, it’s only possible motivation and there is no evidence to back my theory up.”

“And who are you suspecting?”

Erwin raised his head to look Levi in the eyes. “I don’t think you would like my answer.”

For a moment, Levi was confused, but then it finally dawned at him. And Erwin was right, he didn’t fucking like it, because that wasn’t true, couldn’t possibly be true.

“That’s bullshit, Erwin.” Levi fiercely protested. “You said it yourself, there is no way that Zeke could have contacted Eren.”

“I know you care about Eren but-“

Before Erwin could continue, before he came up with another stupid reason, Levi cut him off. “I don’t have to care about him to know that he is loyal. He is a good person and he would never betray us.”

“I guess, you’re right,” Erwin relented. “Now that you’ve said, I realize that it was wrong to suspect him. I don’t have a clue as to whom else could it be, though.”

Levi gave it some thought as well, trying to understand who would benefit from helping Zeke. Of all the agents Levi worked with and all of the recruits he helped to train, there was no one who Levi could suspect. And then he remembered the girl from earlier, whose name he couldn’t remember.

“By the way,” he began. “I’ve run into a girl just now. I haven’t seen her here before. We have a new assistant?”

“No, she’s a new recruit. Joined us a month ago. Her name is Annie Leonhart. She is training for only a month, but she is very good.”

Annie Leonhart? Levi was positive he had never heard that name before. Then where he had seen her? Erwin told him she had joined a month ago, but by this time Levi was already on a mission, so he couldn’t see her at HQ. Well, even if it was a little strange, now was not the time to dwell on it. He could and would help Erwin with finding a spy later, after he would be sure that nothing endangers Hange’s life anymore.

“Do you have a plan?” Levi asked, changing the subject.

Erwin shook his head. “I don’t really know what to do, Levi,” he admitted. “I know where Zeke is holding Hange, but this place is heavily guarded. And not to mention that it’s huge. Even if you manage to sneak in there, I doubt you would be able to find her.”

“And what if I wouldn’t need to sneak in?”

“No.” Erwin answered, immediately understanding Levi’s idea. “It wouldn’t be just dangerous or reckless, Levi, it would be suicidal. Zeke would kill you the moment he sees you.”

“He wouldn’t,” Levi disagreed. “Zeke may even need me. Remember, he still thinks that I’ve killed Moblit, Hange’s assistant. That means he most probably would want to use me to help Hange get her revenge on me.”

“That’s _exactly_ what I meant by saying it’s _a suicidal plan,_ ” Erwin said with exasperation. “What would you even do when you get there?”

“Well, he probably would have to show me to Hange first, right? To show her that he caught me and that he did it for her. The moment I see Hange, I can grab her and just run away.”

“And what about Zeke’s security?”

Levi scoffed. “I’m positive I can easily take care of them.”

“When you say it like that…” Erwin put the hand on his chin. He was quiet for a few minutes, thinking all of it over. Levi patiently waited. “There is another obstacle, though. How do you plan on getting out? I wasn’t joking when I said Zeke’s place is huge, it’s like a maze.”

“I believe I can help with that,” the voice behind the door suddenly said. A very _familiar_ voice. Levi whipped his head around to stare at that person.

“ _Moblit?_ ” he asked incredulously. “What the fuck are you doing here? And have you been eavesdropping?”

Moblit looked away in embarrassment, his cheeks were so red Levi noticed it even in the darkness of Erwin’s office.

“I didn’t mean to.” He said sheepishly. “I just couldn’t sleep and so decided to come here to get an update on Hange and, well, then I heard _your_ voice and, I, um, got a little curious?”

Levi rolled his eyes. Hange had an awful effect on him.

“And how exactly can you help us?” Erwin asked.

“Well, there must be a lot of cameras in Zeke’s house, right? I don’t know how good their security is, but I think I can manage to get past it. Using the cameras, we can find out the layout of the building.”

“That’s… a very good suggestion,” Erwin said. Levi didn’t think it was possible, but Moblit got even more embarrassed because of Erwin’s praise. “But how would you manage to connect with their network? We’re on the other side of the world.”

“You will need to contact Zeke, right? To tell him that Levi was captured? While you will be talking to him, I can hack into his phone and get the access to the cameras from it. I’m sure his phone has some kind of an app, designed to monitor the state of his house.”

“You can do that?” Levi asked incredulously. He didn’t doubt Moblit’s skills, but the way he described the process made it sound like some kind of fantasy. “By the way, how does a scientist even know how to hack into security cameras?”

“Ah, well,” Moblit gave them an awkward smile. “Sometimes you need to do things that are a bit unlawful. In the name of the _science_ , of course.”

“Of course,” Levi repeated, scoffing. Hange definitely had a bad effect on him.

After that, everyone got to work. Erwin contacted Zeke to inform him that the notorious Levi Ackerman had been caught in his own apartment. Even through the phone Levi could hear Zeke’s delighted laugh. Levi had never had such a strong urge to punch someone as much as he wanted to punch Zeke. Zeke was lucky that he was far away from Levi’s wrath.

In the meanwhile, Moblit took residence at Erwin’s couch. He got a laptop in his hands and he was hunched over it, typing quicker than Levi’s eyes could follow. After a few minutes, he raised his head and gave them thumbs-up, indicating that he successfully hacked into Zeke’s phone.

“Zeke will be waiting for you,” Erwin announced to Levi after he had finished his phone call. “I’ll arrange for someone to escort you there. A few agents will be stationed nearby, in case you need any help. But once you are inside, you will be on your own, Levi.”

Levi nodded. “I understand that. Thank you, Erwin, I owe you one.”

“Oh, you owe more than just one,” Erwin replied with a chuckle. “This Hange Zoe better be amazing. I’m still very eager to meet with her again, by the way.”

“You’ll get your chance after we bring her home.”

“Oh, I most certainly hope so,” Erwin said, smiling. Then he turned his attention to Moblit. “How is everything going?”

“I’ve managed to get access to the cams but it would take a while to check through all of them.”

“Good,” Erwin complimented him with an encouraging and kind smile. “Keep us updated.”

Then it got quiet again, the only sound in the room was the loud clacking of the keys of Moblit’s laptop and his quiet mutterings.

Levi went out to the agency’s cafeteria to get himself some tea and coffee for Erwin and Moblit.

When he returned, he sat next to Erwin. Both men were silently enjoying their drinks, until Levi nudged Erwin in the side.

“And what about you?” he asked quietly, so as not to disturb Moblit. “How are, um, _things_ with Mike?”

“The things are going… great, actually,” Erwin replied. There was a small, fond smile on his face. Levi couldn’t remember the last time he had seen it. Erwin’s job as the Director took a huge toll on him and Levi was pleased to know that his friend managed to find some happiness for himself. “We’re going on a date this weekend.”

“That’s good. Mike is a good man.”

“And _very_ handsome, too,” Erwin said with a smirk. “He’s so tall and have you seen how big his arms are? Especially, when he rolls the sleeves of his shirt and-“

“ _Shut up,_ ” Levi said, making a face of disgust. “I really don’t need to know about your sexual fantasies.”

Erwin threw his head and laughed.

Moblit was finished when the rays of sunshine already began to filter through the blinds on the windows of Erwin’s office.

He yawned, stretched out in his seat and then showed his laptop to Levi and Erwin.

“I checked all of the cams I’ve managed to find and I constructed the map of the place.”

“Impressive job,” Erwin commented, inspecting the map Moblit showed them.

Levi couldn’t agree more with him. The map was detailed enough and now all Levi had to do was to memorize it.

“You should rest now,” Erwin told Moblit. “There are bedrooms on the upper floor. Take one and have some sleep.”

Moblit nodded, murmured his thanks and then headed to the door. Levi remained sitting by Erwin’s side. His eyes were still glued to the screen of Moblit’s laptop. He traced the map with his eyes over and over again.

“You should rest, too,” Erwin laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. “While you still have a chance.”

Levi opened his mouth to protest, but Erwin immediately cut him off.

“That’s an order, Levi,” he said sternly, putting on his Director’s tone.

“ _Fine,_ ” Levi conceded. He knew it was no use to argue with Erwin, so he also got up and followed after Moblit to get at least a few hours of sleep.

That’s how in the evening of the next day, Levi found himself standing on his knees, glaring at the infuriatingly happy expression on Zeke’s face.

“Ah, the great Levi Ackerman,” Zeke said, taking a few steps closer to Levi to take a better look of his face.

The pure hatred, displayed on Levi’s face, didn’t seem to frighten Zeke. On the contrary, the man enjoyed looking at it, relishing in the fact that Levi could do nothing to him. The room was full of Zeke’s guards and all of them had their guns aimed at Levi’s head. Not to mention that beside Levi stood Mikasa and Jean and each of them had a strong hold on his arms.

Erwin made a wise decision in choosing those two to accompany Levi. Mikasa looked strong and imposing and she had no problem whatsoever in pretending that she hated Levi. Of course, there were some complications. When Eren had heard about Mikasa going on a mission without him, he got enraged. He wanted to go with her, especially since it was Jean who was chosen to go alongside Mikasa. But Erwin was adamant and Levi backed him up on it. They couldn’t let Eren meet Zeke and it was for the best if they could deal with him without Eren ever knowing he existed.

Jean was also the perfect choice. Out of all the agents, he was the best one at lying and he had quick thinking too. The others, Sasha, Connie and Armin were stationed nearby. Upon learning about this, Eren insisted that if he couldn’t go with Mikasa, then at least he could be Levi’s back-up. His demands were so insistent that Erwin had no choice but to agree. The back-up team was hiding in the vast forest that surrounded Zeke’s house. Levi hoped he wouldn’t actually need them, but he felt more confident knowing that they got his back. 

“You know,” Zeke continued, circling around Levi. “I’ve been told how good you are. How strong and quick and smart. But seeing you in person… I can see that you are nothing more than an angry little man.”

Levi gritted his teeth, glaring daggers at the asshole in front of him. As in warning, Mikasa’s hand on his shoulder tightened and her hold on him became almost painful. Damn her, Levi thought, she was definitely enjoying it too much.

“Now that I’ve seen you,” Levi slowly began. Zeke cocked his head to the side, curious to hear what Levi would tell him. “I can definitely say that I have never seen anyone who is uglier than you.”

Zeke rolled his eyes. Then he motioned to one of his guards. The man came close to Levi and then raised his leg to hit Levi in the stomach. The air was kicked out of his lungs and he was forced to take a rugged breath.

“You are my prisoner, Levi Ackerman,” Zeke said, looming over him. “And you should treat me with respect.”

“And what happens if I don’t?”

Zeke’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “I will kill you.”

“You will kill me anyway.”

“You’re right,” Zeke agreed. “But I can kill you quickly and painlessly or I can do it slowly.”

“If you are going to kill me, then you can tell me the truth, right?" Levi asked, changing the subject. He was getting tired of Zeke's bragging. "How did you manage to find me, how did you manage to find _her_?”

“Oh, believe me, that wasn’t so hard,” Zeke waved his hand. “I didn’t even have to do anything. It was our little Annie who did all the work.”

“Annie?” Jean whispered disbelievingly. “ _Our_ Annie?”

“I knew she was a fucking traitor.” Mikasa muttered angrily.

Then it finally dawned on Levi. He remembered where exactly he had seen the girl. During his last mission, the one where his team was killed, he had seen a short blonde standing near the building that had exploded. So she was the one to set up an explosion. She was the one who killed Levi’s friends.

“You were the one who tried to take away Eren?” Levi’s mind was filled with the image of the mutilated bodies of his team. He had to close his eyes tightly to clear his mind. Mikasa’s hand on his shoulder patted him slightly, her thumb subtly reaching out to caress his back. She knew how much the deaths of his teammates pained Levi. She understood his desire to kill Zeke, to avenge the deaths of his loved ones. But now was not the time.

“As much as I longed to reunite with my lost brother,” Zeke sighed. “It wasn’t me who needed him. Although, I did assist in the attempts to take him away from you.”

Levi took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He needed to focus on saving Hange first, and then he could get his revenge. He thought again about Annie Leonhart. There was something that wasn’t adding up.

“Leonhart joined the agency just a month ago,” Levi said, thinking aloud. “Then how did she manage to get access to the secret information?”

Levi was sure that Erwin kept everything in secret. There was no way anyone, except Eren, Mikasa, Armin and Jean could have found out about the mission to hide the crew of Sea Splash. So how did Annie manage to do that?

“She didn’t really have to do much,” Zeke answered. “She got close to one of the agents and he told her everything she needed to know.”

So she used one of their agents to get the information out of them? Levi had to admit that it was a smart tactic. But who would be naïve enough to share the secret information?

“I will make her pay for that,” Mikasa said so quietly, Levi wasn’t sure anyone but him had heard it. He didn’t miss the fury in her voice, though. “Armin _trusted_ her and she was just using him.”

Ah, so it was Armin. Levi couldn’t exactly call the kid naïve, but he was certainly too kind and trusting for his own good.

Jean threw Mikasa a confused glance, but she paid no mind to it. She didn’t seem to pay attention to anything at all, too lost in her angry thoughts.

“Well, it’s been nice chatting with all of you,” Zeke said, starting to walk away. “But I have work to do and Professor Hange is in desperate need of the subject for her experiments.” He turned to look at Levi and gave him a smirk. “I think you are the perfect candidate, Levi Ackerman.”

In the next moment, Zeke’s guards walked up to Levi. Jean and Mikasa roughly helped Levi get to his feet and pushed him towards them. Mikasa seemed to return to her senses, but her gaze held the same anger and hatred as before.

“Wait for my signal,” Levi whispered to Jean and Mikasa, before Zeke’s lackeys grabbed him by the shoulders. “And don’t do anything stupid.”

Jean subtly nodded and then Levi was forcefully dragged away from them.

As Levi was dragged through corridors and stair flights of Zeke’s building, he was trying to compare his surroundings with the map Moblit made for him. The house was bigger in reality and Moblit’s blueprints missed a few rooms but overall Levi was confident he would be able to successfully navigate through the house.

Soon enough they reached the laboratory and Levi could finally see Hange. At first, she didn’t notice their arrival, probably too focused on her work. Then she heard Zeke’s voice and raised her head to look at him.

“Good evening, Professor,” Zeke exclaimed loudly with an obnoxious smile. “I’ve finally managed to find a subject for your experiments. I remember that you didn’t want to experiment on an innocent person, so I’ve managed to get you the most disgusting person imaginable, a person you surely must hate with every fiber of your being!”

Levi saw the exact moment when Hange finally noticed him. Her eyes widened in shock and she dropped the test-tube she was holding in her hands. It fell onto the floor with a defining noise, but Hange didn’t even look at it. She continued to stare at Levi and her gaze was filled with panic.

Levi stared back at her. He was studying her intently, checking if she had any injuries. He saw the patch on her forehead, but otherwise Hange seemed unharmed. Levi threw a quick glance at Zeke. His eyebrow was raised slightly and it looked like he was curious about Hange’s reaction.

There were two men beside Hange and one of them, a tall blonde, crouched to gather the broken glass.

“You are not hurt?” He asked Hange and that seemed to break her out of her daze.

“I’m perfectly fine, Reiner, don’t worry,” she said with a tight and insincere smile. “I was just a bit surprised. I didn’t expect you to catch him so quickly.”

“Ah, anything for you, my dear Professor,” Zeke said with a sweet smile. “You can do with him whatever you want, he’s completely at your mercy.”

“I… I need to run a few tests on him. To make sure that my formula has the same effect on everybody.” Hange’s voice was steady. Whatever she felt upon seeing Levi here, she quickly got past it.

“Of course,” Zeke agreed. “As I said, you are free to do anything you need. Do you want them to stay?” Zeke asked, pointing to the two men who were still holding Levi by his arms.

“No, it’s fine,” Hange smiled. “I’m sure that if he tries to do anything, Reiner and Bertolt would be able to take care of it.”

“Whatever you say,” Zeke said and then headed to the exit. His two guards released Levi and followed after their boss.

Hange waited until Zeke was completely out of the laboratory and then grabbed Levi’s hand. She dragged him to another room.

“I’ll scream if I need anything,” She told Bertolt and Reiner and then shut the door close.

Levi looked around. The room had glass door and walls just like every other room in the lab. A large… _thing_ was standing in the middle of the room, taking most of its space. It had a big glass container and a lot of tubes coming out of it. Levi didn’t want to know what was the purpose of this particular device.

“Take off your jacket.” Hange told him.

“You missed me so much, four eyes?” Levi tried to joke. However, Hange’s strict look told him his attempt was unsuccessful.

While he obediently took off his jacket, Hange prepared a syringe and another test-tube. Then she came to stand in front of Levi. She sat him in a chair and then took a seat next to him. She took one of his hands in her own. She unbuttoned the sleeve of his shirt and then started to roll it up, towards his elbow. While she was busy with it, Levi took another look at her. Hange’s face was pale and her eyes lacked their usual spark. Hange seemed beaten, utterly defeated and Levi’s heart was breaking at the sight in front of him.

“I thought you trusted your boss. Why the fuck did he betray you then?” She finished rolling up his sleeve, but she didn’t let go of him, clutching onto the front of his shirt with desperation. Her voice was fierce and angry. It was loud too, loud enough to hear it in another room.

“Hange, they can hear you!” Levi hissed, pointing with his head towards the two men in another room.

“They can’t. This room is soundproof, that’s why I’ve chosen it.”

“Oh,” Levi said. Of course, Hange had thought about that. She could be reckless sometimes, but she wasn’t stupid.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Hange reminded him. “Why did your boss sell you out to Zeke?”

“He didn’t.”

“No?” Hange was confused. “Then how did Zeke manage to find you?”

“I decided to come here myself.”

“You did _what_?” Hange asked loudly. “Levi, are you out of my mind? Why the fuck have you done it?”

“To save you, idiot!” Levi replied, also raising his voice.

“I don’t need you to save me!” Hange countered. She let go of Levi’s shirt and rose from her seat. She took a step back from Levi and put her hands on the hips, glaring furiously at him. “I’ve made a mistake, Levi, and I am the one who has to pay for it. It is my problem, not yours.”

“Well, tough shit, four eyes.” Levi also got up and angrily crossed his arms. Why everything was so hard with Hange? “Your problems are mine, too.”

“Oh? Since when?”

“Since I decided to care about your miserable ass, dipshit!”

Levi probably said his words too loudly, because the silence that followed after them was defining. Hange seemed to be completely taken by surprise. She opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. 

“Levi…” she whispered quietly, not knowing what else to say.

Levi shook his head. He had told her already that he cared about her, why was she so shocked by his words now?

Levi slowly closed the distance between them, took Hange’s hands into his and interlocked their fingers. His thumb was gently caressing the back of Hange’s palm.

“I couldn’t just leave you here, Hange," he said quietly. "I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I abandoned you.”

“But I don’t want you to get hurt,” Hange replied just as softly. She wasn’t looking at Levi and instead her gaze was focused on their joined hands.

“Hange,” Levi called to her softly. “Look at me, please.”

Hange did as he asked and Levi stared deeply into her eyes.

“I promise you that neither of us will get hurt. I have a plan on how to get you out of here.”

“You have a plan, huh?” Hange asked and a smirk found its way on her face. “Too late, because I also have a plan. And I bet mine is better than yours.”

Levi widened his eyes at this revelation. He knew he shouldn’t be surprised, it was Hange, after all, of course, she already had a plan.

“And what are you going to do?”

“There is a switch that can change the air flow from the main room to the experimentation room. While I’ll be showing off my invention, I will let Zeke inhale the sedative and while he will be out cold, I’m planning to make my escape.”

“Huh,” Levi couldn’t help but be impressed by Hange’s intelligence.

“Wait,” he said after a moment. Hange seemed to forget one small, but very crucial detail. “You said you will be showing your invention to him.” Hange nodded, confirming that yes, it was exactly what she had said a minute ago. “But wouldn’t you be in the same room as him then? The sedative would affect you as well.”

“Shit, you’re right,” Hange said frustratingly. “I completely forgot about that.”

“That’s why you need me. When the sedative takes its effect on you, I can carry you out.”

“Yeah, what would have I done without you,” Hange winked at him. “My short knight in shining armor.”

“Don’t push it, four eyes,” Levi threatened her. “I can always leave you behind.”

Hange laughed loudly. “You’re such a charmer, Levi.” She affectionately ruffled his hair. Levi let her do it, because he loved the feeling of Hange’s fingers in his hair and, well, it seemed like he loved Hange, too.

Then Hange turned around and went to the table to retrieve the syringe and her test-tube. As she walked away from him, Levi saw Zeke’s guards staring at them. Even if they weren’t able to hear what they were talking about, they could still notice how close he and Hange were standing to each other. And how easy Hange behaved around him.

“Don’t worry about Reiner and Bertolt,” Hange said, noticing the direction of Levi’s gaze. “They were the ones who told me about the ventilation shaft, they wouldn’t tell Zeke about us.”

“Are you sure?”

Hange cocked her head to one side. She stared at Reiner and Bertolt for a moment, studying them.

“Yeah,” She said after a moment. “I trust them.”

Well, Levi couldn’t say he felt the same, but he obviously trusted Hange and her judgment. If she had no doubts about them, then Levi wouldn't argue with that.

“When will your sedative be ready?” Levi asked as Hange carefully injected the syringe into his arm to take his blood for a test.

“In a day or two,” Hange answered after she carefully pulled the syringe out of Levi’s arms.

“Okay,” Levi nodded. He needed to somehow find a way to contact his back-up team and tell them about their plan. And then they had to spend at least a day in Zeke’s house, but Levi had returned to his place at Hange’s side and he swore to himself that he wouldn’t let any harm come her way ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in defence of armin in this chapter, he had no idea about all of that conspiracy shit between erwin and zeke and just wanted to be friends with annie :)  
> ALSO i have to admit that everything i know about hacking comes from watch dogs games, so forgive me if that part in the fic seems too stupid  
> another thing though - this fic is already longer than 40k words, which i'm actually very proud of, i have never thought that i can write such big work :o


	11. Chapter 11

In the two days they’ve spent there, Hange probably inspected every aspect of Levi’s body. She did a complete blood analysis, examined his saliva and urine (which was the grossest thing Levi had ever witnessed), she studied how well his eyes and ears functioned, checked his reflexes and a then did a dozen other things Levi didn’t even know the purpose of. Hange swore she was doing it only for the sake of fooling Zeke, but the excited, passionate look in her eyes made Levi involuntarily flinch.

Levi had never seen Hange work before and the intensity she applied to her research turned her into a completely different person. Gone was the cheerful and kind Hange, instead she became serious and focused. Although, she still was as crazy as before. Maybe, even crazier than usual. When she was deep in her thoughts, she was constantly muttering something. And when she would finally figure the solution, a smile would appear on her face. And not the usual sweet smile, which Levi was used to. No, this smile was wide and wild. Almost feral. She looked like a madman, but… It didn’t draw Levi away. He saw the surprised and a little terrified faces of Bertolt and Reiner, but he himself didn’t feel the same. Of course, Hange was a little mad, _he already knew that_. So seeing another aspect of her weirdness did nothing to lessen Levi’s feelings towards her. If anything, he felt relieved. He could be just as crazy as Hange sometimes and it was good to know that he managed to find someone as weird as him. Levi wasn’t a romantic man, but if he was he’d say that he and Hange were made for each other.

Suddenly a door opened, breaking Levi out of his thoughts. He didn’t turn around to see who it was, he was sure that it was Hange. After all, she promised to come back to him swiftly, after she finished checking yet another set of his results.

“How are you doing today, Levi?” Levi heard this repugnant voice and his head snapped to its source.

 _Zeke_ was standing in front of him, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. The two burly men were hovering behind him. Levi gritted his teeth in annoyance.

In the two days Levi has been there, not even once had Zeke showed his face in the laboratory. Levi didn’t know what he was doing and he didn’t _care_. Truth be told, he almost forgot about him. Of course, he remembered the dangers that were surrounding them and he couldn’t forget about his goal to save Hange. But without actually seeing Zeke, Levi almost felt comfortable. Sure, Bertolt and Reiner were constantly present in the lab, always standing beside Hange, but they were just teenagers. And they usually kept to themselves, speaking only to Hange or sometimes whispering something to one another.

Hange told him that her sedative would be finished tomorrow and Levi even managed to signal his back-up about it. He thought how to do it for a long time and then he came to a relatively simple solution. The window of a room he spent his nights in was showing a forest. And his team was located in the forest, so he tried to communicate with them using the light from his phone and his knowledge of the Morse code. And even though, he had his doubts about kids knowing the Morse, their responses were coherent (Levi guessed it was Armin who was talking to him). He told them to wait for his next signal, which would be a closed curtain on his window. The day they see it, they have to get ready for an attack on Zeke’s house. So Levi thought he was prepared for anything, had everything under control, he was _calm._

And then Zeke decided to show his ugly face, shattering all of Levi’s confidence. 

“What the fuck do you want, Zeke?” Levi growled.

Zeke chuckled. “I don’t know why I have expected a different response from you. You are an angry and foolish man, so, of course, you can only answer with anger. However, I have to admit it. You’ve managed to surprise me. I was sure that you came here with only one goal – to take Hange Zoe away from me.”

Levi felt a surge of panic ran through him at these words. How could Zeke find out about their plan? What had given Levi away? Those answers begged to be asked, but Levi willed himself to keep calm. Even though, his heart was racing in his chest, he managed to keep his face neutral.

“Are you crazy?” he asked Zeke in his usual emotionless voice. “Why would I need that four-eyed weirdo?”

“Well, I don’t know for sure,” Zeke’ smile grew wider. “But I have a little theory. Care to listen to it?” Levi didn’t respond, glaring murderously at Zeke. Taking that as an affirmation, Zeke continued. “For some reason, unbeknownst to me, you’ve betrayed your boss, Erwin Smith. Now I don’t know why and I don’t really care, but it is a fact. You’ve killed Professor Zoe’s assistant and then ran away with her. I also don’t know why you haven’t killed her, but I have some ideas about that. I think you were afraid of your boss, you knew that he would find you and then he would make you pay for your betrayal. So you took Hange Zoe with you as a hostage, hoping that when Erwin Smith would inevitably find you, you would be able to save your life by giving him Professor Zoe. But then I ruined all your plans by finding out where you were hiding and taking Professor Zoe from you.”

“You’ve thought everything through,” Levi spoke up. “But your stupid theory doesn’t explain why I am here now.”

“Oh, believe me it does, you just need to listen to me for a little longer. So, you’ve lost your hostage and your only chance of survival. And then I think you’ve decided to surrender. You knew you wouldn’t be able to hide from your boss – he has more resources and he’s a very smart man. Thus you’ve decided to make an agreement with him – you help him kidnap Hange Zoe from me and he lets you go.”

“Oh?” Levi arched his eyebrow. Zeke’s assumptions were wrong in most parts, but his final conclusion was right. He knew, or at least suspected why Levi came here. So what Levi needed to do now was to persuade Zeke that he was wrong. “And why does Erwin even need Hange?”

“Easy,” Zeke countered. “He needs her for the same reason I do – her genius. Her brain is an asset only a few can ignore. I’m sure your boss would love to have someone like her on his team.”

Levi clenched his jaw in anger. The only thing that Zeke saw in Hange was her intelligence. He didn’t even think of her as a person, but as a property, as a device that would give him what he wants. Levi’s hands were itching to grab Zeke and punch him until he blacks out. Zeke made him so fucking _angry_. Levi raised his eyes to look at Zeke and saw his knowing smile. Shit, he saw that Levi was angry and he took his reaction as a sign that he was right. Now was not the time to lash out and act on his feelings. Right now Levi needed to keep his calm. To make Zeke doubt his own deductions, he needed to think carefully about his words.

“If your assumptions are actually correct, then why am I still here? Why didn’t I kidnap her the very first day that I arrived there?”

“That’s exactly what I came here to find out! I waited for two days, expecting you to act out. What are you waiting for, Levi? Why didn’t you try to make your escape yet?”

“After waiting for two days, why are you still so sure I’ve came to take her away?”

“Because I can’t think of any other reason. I would have believed that Erwin Smith had actually caught you and decided to give you to me, if it weren’t for one small detail.”

“What detail?” Levi asked confusedly. His thoughts were racing, trying to understand what had given him away. What had he done wrong?

“The place where they had caught you. Your boss told me they captured you at your apartment. Regardless of how I feel about you, I can’t believe that even you would be stupid enough to go to your apartment after betraying your boss and knowing that he is looking for you. So,” Zeke fixed the glasses on his face and smirked arrogantly. “Was my theory actually correct?”

Levi just stared at Zeke, not knowing what to say. Fuck that bearded asshole, but he actually managed to find a hole in Erwin’s plan. Everything has been going so smoothly, Levi actually believed they got a chance, no, he was _sure_ their plan would work out. But now everything was falling apart and Levi couldn’t find a way to fix it. He cursed inwardly, Erwin would know what to say, how to twist his words in a way that would fool Zeke once again. Levi was sure Hange would get out of this situation as well. Maybe she wasn’t as good with her words as Erwin, but she knew how and when to play dumb. She knew how to convince someone she was just a naïve mad scientist, who doesn’t notice anything except the formulas in her endless journals. But Levi was different from them, he was a man of action, he had quick thinking and he never doubted his decisions but he couldn’t manipulate someone the way Hange and Erwin did. But now it was up to him to do something, to find a way to fix their mistakes. Hange was depending on him, _her life_ was depending on him. He wouldn’t, couldn’t let her down.

Levi thought about killing Zeke. Sure, he has no weapons on him, but he could strangle him or hit his head. There were many ways to kill him, but first he would have to deal with Zeke’s guards who came in here with him. And Hange was just in another room, what guarantee there were that Zeke wouldn’t get to her before Levi kills his security? Even if Zeke wouldn’t be quick enough to get to her, Reiner and Bertolt were always beside her. Hange may have trusted them, but Levi didn’t. He especially didn’t trust them with Hange’s life. No, this plan was too risky. He had to think of something else.

So for now Levi decided to buy some time.

“If you are so sure I will take Hange away, then why keep me here? Why won’t you just kill me?”

Zeke chuckled, pleased by the helplessness, displayed in Levi’s words. “Because I know I can stop you. Whatever you have planned, I am sure I can counter it. You may not understand it yet, but you’ve lost the moment you had passed this threshold, Levi Ackerman. But I am curious to see what you will do. How will you get out of this situation?”

Sick bastard, Levi thought despicably. Zeke did it on purpose, he revealed that he knew about his intention to make Levi panic. To make him frantic, unfocused, _stupid._ Levi wouldn’t give him that satisfaction.

“You flatter me, Zeke. I’ve made a mistake and got caught like an idiot, but you’ve fantasied a whole story. You’ve thought over every tiny detail just because you couldn’t believe that I can make mistakes. I’m so pleased to know that you have a very high opinion of me.”

Levi smirked upon seeing how Zeke’s face contorted in anger. However, his fury lasted only for a second. Then his face returned to its arrogant expression.

“You can say whatever you want. I can see right through you, Levi Ackerman.”

And with that Zeke stormed out of the room, leaving Levi alone. He let out a breath of relief. That whole exchange was more nerve-wrecking than he preferred.

* * *

Hange raised her head from her notes when she heard the door opening. She was shocked to see Zeke walking in. However, Hange was even more surprised when he walked past her, not even sparing a glance her way. Hange’s heart was in her throat when she understood that Zeke was heading towards the room, where Levi was sitting. She watched anxiously as Zeke entered the room and began talking to Levi.

What did Zeke want from him? Hange could see that they were talking but she couldn’t hear a word, damn that soundproof room. She was aching to go there, but it surely would be too suspicious. She couldn’t let Zeke know that she cared about Levi.

So Hange stood there, desperately trying to understand what was going on. Whatever Zeke had told Levi, it obviously made Levi panic, she could see that his eyes were opened wider than usual and that his hands were clutched into fists.

Suddenly, someone’s hand touched her shoulder and Hange jumped at the sudden contact. She instantly spun around.

Bertolt was standing there with an apologizing look on his face.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, but you asked me to bring you the results from MRI. Here they are,” Bertolt handed her the results.

“Oh, of course, thank you,” Hange said absentmindedly. She took the scans from Bertolt and quickly turned around to see what Zeke and Levi were doing now.

To her surprise, Zeke was already exiting the room. Hange could see that his shoulders were tense and his head was bowed down as though he was nervous or angry. It lasted only a moment, though. In the next second, he raised his head and smiled brilliantly at Hange.

“Professor!” he exclaimed. “How is your work going?”

“I…I’m almost done.” She replied. “Tomorrow my compound will be completed.”

“Excellent!” Zeke clasped his hands. It was an abnormally loud noise in the otherwise silent lab. “Then expect me here at noon. I can’t wait to see your magnificent creation!”

Hange nodded and gave him a tightlipped smile. Then she focused on the scans in her hand, hoping that Zeke would get the hint and leave. She couldn’t wait to go to Levi and ask him what the fuck had happened between them.

Thankfully, Zeke seemed to understand her desire and after biding her farewell, exited the lab. Hange waited until he was completely out of the room, before letting out a breath of relief. And then she hurried to Levi.

“Zeke knows.” Levi told her the moment she stepped into the room.

Hange felt her heart skip a beat. How did Zeke manage to find out about their plan? And more importantly – what will they do now?

“What exactly does he know?” Hange still asked. She couldn’t accept that Zeke knew about everything. There must be something he missed and Hange intended to use it.

“He knows that I’ve come to take you away from him. However, he doesn’t know that we’ve… collaborated.”

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Hange couldn’t help but smirk at Levi’s awkward wording. She playfully smacked his arm. “ _Collaboration_? Is that how you call our relationship?”

“ _This isn’t funny_ , _Hange_ ,” Levi growled. “Our plan is compromised! Your life is at stake here!”

“Oi, don’t be so dramatic,” Hange came to sit next to Levi. She took his hand in hers and gave him an encouraging smile. “Zeke found out about your intents, so what? Keeping that a secret wasn’t that crucial. Our plan can still work out.”

“I guess you’re right…” Levi mumbled.

“To be honest, I’m surprised Zeke hadn’t figured you out earlier,” Levi gave her a confused look and Hange smirked at him. “The way you look at me, only a blind man wouldn’t understand that you are infuriated with me.”

Hange began to laugh and Levi shoved her so hard she almost fell off her seat. However, she didn’t, because Levi was still holding her hand.

“Shut up, four eyes.” He told to the still laughing Hange. “Besides, weren’t you the one who told me that my face wasn’t made for lovey-dovey expressions?”

“I did tell you that, didn’t I?” Hange remembered the exact moment when she had said it. It happened in London when she was just getting to know Levi. It seemed like it was a lifetime ago.

“Well, I guess, I’ve changed you,” Hange said with a soft smile. She pressed a gentle kiss on Levi’s cheek. “My affection and kindness managed to melt even your stone cold heart.”

“Stop talking shit,” Levi retorted but Hange could see the blush on his cheeks. For a moment, she was completely overwhelmed by her feelings towards this man. This man, who looked so rough and cold on the outside, but deep down was the kindest, sweetest man Hange has ever known.

Hange decided then that she wouldn’t let Zeke harm Levi. She would do anything in her power to protect him.

“I told Zeke that my compound is ready. Tomorrow at noon he’ll come to see how it works.”

“So, one way or another, all of this ends tomorrow.” Levi quietly said.

“It does,” Hange agreed. A moment later she whipped her head around to stare at Levi. “What do you mean by ‘all of this ends’? You don’t want to see me anymore?”

“What?” It was Levi’s turn to stare at Hange. “I told you already that I have feelings for you, Hange. That hasn’t changed.”

“So…” Hange suddenly felt very shy. If Levi wasn’t still holding her hand, she’d start fidgeting. She nervously fixed her glasses instead. “You would like to… go on a date perhaps? After all of this is over?”

“I would love to.” Levi told her earnestly. He was looking straight into her eyes and there was a small smile on his lips. Hange couldn’t remember if she had ever seen Levi’s smile before. It was beautiful and Levi looked so adorable. Hange couldn’t stop staring at him. She doubted that Levi showed that soft side of him to a lot of people and Hange felt immensely happy that he trusted her enough to reveal his true feelings.

“Hange?” Levi called her softly when the silence stretched on for too long. And Hange still was staring at him. She coughed and hurriedly looked away.

“Yes?” she asked and hoped that her voice didn’t sound too awkward. The smug look that Levi had given her told her she wasn’t too convincing.

“If you’re done staring at me like a weirdo, would you mind reminding me of our plan?” Levi’s smile turned into a smirk and Hange hated it, because now he looked even more handsome than usually. What an infuriating man!

“Of course,” Hange said, fixing her glasses. She turned away from Levi and focused all of her thoughts on their plan. “Zeke will come to test my compound, I’ll put all ingredients into that machine,” Hange pointed at the big glass container. There was a massive tube sticking out of it. “After the chemicals will reach the needed temperature, they will turn into a gas. A gas will travel through this tube and then reach the ventilation. Once there, I will turn on that switch and the gas will appear in the main room of the lab instead of experimentation room. It won’t work immediately, it will take fifteen minutes or more, before we black out. But then, you know, it’s your time to shine. You come in, swipe me into your strong and manly hands and carry me out of the building, while Zeke’s guards try to shoot you.”

Levi gave her another playful shove. “ _Idiot,_ Zeke’s guards won’t be shooting at me, because my back-up team will take care of them beforehand.”

“Oh, right, I forgot about that.” Hange agreed, nodding. “But other than that, I’ve been correct, right?”

“Yeah, somehow your shitty brain managed to remember all of it.”

“Ah, I’m glad to be appreciated,” Hange said in an overly sweet voice.

Levi huffed and rolled his eyes. Then he let go of Hange’s hand and rose from his seat.

“It’s getting late, I’m going to get some sleep.”

“Alright,” Hange nodded. “I still need to finish some things, so I’ll be there for a while.”

“Don’t stay up for too late.” Levi told her. “You need to rest.”

“It won’t take too long.” Hange promised him.

Levi nodded and then took her face in his hands. He leaned in and kissed her forehead. Hange smiled, moved by that simple but gentle gesture.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Levi whispered and then left the room.

Hange remained sitting there. She didn’t lie to Levi, she really had to finish something before going to bed.

Levi’s revelation that Zeke knew about their plan had confirmed two things. Firstly, Zeke wasn’t an enemy she should underestimate – she shouldn’t forget about his cleverness. Or his wickedness. And secondly, there was nothing that Zeke wouldn’t do to get what he wanted. And right now what he wanted was her formula and the ability to control people that came with it. Even if she and Levi would be able to successfully escape, he would inevitably find her again. And who knows, what he would do then and how he would punish Hange for running away once again.

Zeke was a problem and Hange needed to find a way to deal with him once and for all. Hange knew what she had to do, even if just thinking about it made her almost physically sick. But there was no other way. She knew that Zeke wouldn’t stop chasing after her and Hange couldn’t think of place where she could hide and where Zeke wouldn’t be able to find her.

So she had to kill him.

Hange continued telling herself that it was the only option, there was no other way to keep her loved ones safe. She noticed that her hands began to tremble, so she clutched them tightly into fists, willing herself to calm down. Now was not the time to be weak. She needed to figure out how exactly she would accomplish her task.

Her gaze fell onto the glass container she showed Levi before and Hange immediately knew what she had to do. If she changed the compound, adding nitrous oxide and halothane to barbiturates and sedatives, then… Then she would create a new gas, whose effects would be so strong, it would not only knock Zeke out, but would lead to brain hypoxia and to… death.

Hange shot up from her seat and headed to her work-table, immediately beginning her work. This gas would take some time to have its effect on Zeke, because the main room was spacious and there was a lot of oxygen there, but, thankfully, the lab was in the basement and if the doors were tightly shut and she managed to keep Zeke in there for a long time, then Hange was positive that it would work.

A brief thought crossed her mind – she would be in the room with Zeke and therefore would also be a victim of her own creation. Hange quickly threw that thought aside, though. She really meant it, when she had told Levi that this whole mess was her own damn mistake.

And so, she was the one who had to pay for it.

* * *

It came to Hange as quite of a shock when she realized that it was already morning. She was busy checking her formula, double and triple checking the amount of ingredients she was putting into her compound, everything had to be precise, there was no room for mistake. She was so engrossed in her work that she didn’t hear when the door of the lab opened and someone entered the room.

“Did you spend the whole night doing this shit?” Levi’s voice growled next to her ear and Hange jumped in her seat.

She looked around perplexedly. She saw Reiner and Bertolt sleeping in the corner of the room. She vaguely remembered telling them to go to their rooms and get some sleep. It looked like they have _partially_ listened to her advice.

“I’m sorry,” Hange smiled sheepishly at Levi. “I lost the track of time.”

“Idiot,” Levi lightly flicked her forehead. “What the fuck have you been doing for so long?”

“Ah, just making sure I’ve done everything right,” Hange said. She couldn’t tell Levi the truth, because he would obviously try to talk her out of it. Or, knowing Levi, he would do something more direct. Throw away her compound, for example. Or destroy the whole lab with his bare hands.

“Don’t worry,” Hange smiled at him. “It’s not my first all-nighter.”

But it would be her last, Hange thought bitterly. Truth be told, staying up all night, engrossed with her work, was the perfect way to spend her last night. Hange was suddenly filled with sadness and regret, it shouldn’t have ended like this. She quickly shook her head, trying to get rid of such thoughts. She couldn’t despair now, Levi would certainly notice and then her plan would be doomed.

So she put on her best, most radiant smile and hoped that it would be enough to fool Levi.

“Is everything ready?” Levi asked, looking at her skeptically.

“Mm,” Hange nodded.

“Good,” Levi said, taking a seat next to her. If he noticed that anything was wrong with her, thankfully, he didn’t comment on it. “Zeke will be here soon.”

“Your team is ready?”

“Yeah, they will start their assault against Zeke’s guards at noon.”

Good, Hange thought. Levi will be able to get out of it alive, so her death wouldn’t be in vain.

She rose up from her seat, gathering all needed ingredients. Just like Levi had said, Zeke will be here soon. She needed to get ready.

Hange was just finished putting chemicals into the container and the compound was only beginning to heat, when Zeke entered the lab, his two guards trailing behind him as always. Bertolt and Reined have only recently woken up. Hange’s heart clutched at the thought that the two boys would also meet the same fate as Zeke and her. She would need to find a way to make them leave the lab.

“Professor!” Zeke’s smile was as brilliant as always. Hange hated looking at it. “Are you finished?”

“I am,” Hange replied. “I’ll need to check Levi Ackerman’s vital signs once more, and then we can begin our experiment.”

“Excellent. Proceed then.”

Hange nodded and then headed towards the experimentation room, where Levi was already waiting. The need to check Levi’s vital signs was bullshit and an obvious lie. It was just another way of fooling Zeke. And… Hange also wanted to go see Levi one last time. To hold his hand and to feel his warmth.

“He doesn’t seem suspicious,” Levi told her when she entered.

“Everything seems to be going smoothly,” Hange agreed. “When you will exit this room, remember not to breathe in too deeply.”

Then Hange took Levi’s hand into hers to check his pulse and blood pressure. Then she examined his temperature. Hange wrote it all down and then took a deep sign. Levi discreetly grabbed her hand and gave it a quick squeeze. The walls were made of glass and they had to be careful or Zeke could see them. However Levi saw Hange’s distress and couldn’t resist giving her some comfort.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered to her. “Everything will be fine.”

Hange looked into Levi’s eyes and suddenly it was hard for her to say anything. Her vision was beginning to get blurry because of the tears and she lowered her head, so Levi wouldn’t see them.

However, he still sensed that something was wrong. Hange would hate him for being so perceptive if she didn’t love him.

 _Oh god_ , Hange realized suddenly. She loved Levi, she had actually fallen _in love_ with him. And she realized it only before her death. Well, wasn’t her life ironic?

Levi took her chin into his hand and made her look at him. His eyes widened in shock, when he saw her tears.

“Hange, what the fuck is wrong?” his voice was so distressed that Hange immediately wanted to tell him the truth. She wanted to tell him everything but she couldn’t. No, she had to protect Levi and so she had to remain strong.

“It’s nothing,” she reassured him, taking a step back. She did it, because she knew that Zeke was watching them, but also because if Levi continued to touch her and look at her like _that_ , Hange was sure she would crumble and abandon her plan. “I just… wanted to thank you. For everything.”

And then Hange turned around, ready to leave this room and Levi behind. Before she could take a step, however, Levi grabbed her hand.

“What the fuck, Hange?” he hissed. “Why are you talking like you are saying goodbye to me?”

“Levi, let me go!” Hange ignored Levi’s words (and how truthful they were) and tried to free her hand, but she forgot how strong Levi was. His grip on her hand was unrelenting.

“I’m not letting you go until you explain why are you acting so sad!” Levi told her, not even bothering to keep his voice down anymore.

“Levi, Zeke will see us,” Hange tried to reason.

“I don’t care! Just tell me what you are planning, Hange, _please._ ” Levi’s voice became desperate and Hange made a fatal mistake of looking into his eyes. Because there was pleading in his gaze and Hange couldn’t take it. She looked away, knowing that if she takes another look at him, she wouldn’t be able to proceed with her plan.

She wanted to tell Levi that he was overthinking everything, that her sadness was caused by worry and anxiety, but her mouth didn’t work. With trembling hands she wiped away her tears. Seeing that his words didn’t work on her, Levi let go of her hand.

“I don’t know what you’ve planned and you refuse to tell me,” he told her. Levi’s voice didn’t sound angry or desperate anymore. He sounded utterly defeated. Hange tried to convince herself that she just imagined it. “But if you do something stupid, Hange, if you put your life in danger… I will never forgive you.”

Hange still couldn’t talk. She nodded and then exited the room as quickly as her wobbling legs carried her. She was in such daze, she almost forgot to stop by the switch and change the flow of the air.

“Well, it took you a while,” Zeke noted when Hange finally came to stand next to him.

“Had to make sure that everything is working,” she said. Somehow she managed to make her voice sound calm and steady.

“Oh?” Zeke raised his eyebrow. “And what happened between you and Levi Ackerman?” Zeke smirked at her. “A lover’s quarrel?”

For a moment Hange’s eyes slightly widened in surprise. She quickly gathered herself together, but Zeke still noticed the change in her. And he immediately understood what exactly it meant.

“I’m disappointed in you, Hange Zoe.” he said, shaking his head. “You could become so much more! You could reach your full potential, if only you’ve stopped hiding behind your morals and principals, wasting all of your genius. And now _this?_ ” he gestured towards Levi. “I can’t believe you’ve fallen so low. I pity you, if you have actually become enamored with this foolish angry man.”

“And you think you are any better?” Hange shouted angrily. She was fed up with Zeke’s pompous speeches and his arrogant face. “You think you are better than me? Or than him? You are nothing but a broken man who is unable of feeling compassion. You care for nothing, except your power and you pity me? You don’t know the feeling of love, I should pity _you_ and not the other way around!”

“Thank you, Professor, for once again convincing me that intelligence and wisdom are two very different things. You say that I should be pitied? Because I feel love for no one? Sure, maybe love can please you, it can even make you happy, but just as easy, it can make you despair. Do you want me to prove that to you? Let’s have a little experiment of our own, shall we?”

For a moment Hange’s heart stopped beating. She could feel the cold sweat running down her forehead. She didn’t like where all of this was going.

“You probably think you are so smart and that you’ve actually managed to fool me, don’t you?” Zeke’s smile was almost feral and Hange involuntarily took a step back. “Are you really so naïve to believe that I don’t know everything that is going on inside my own house?”

Hange’s gaze immediately snapped to Reiner and Bertolt, who all this time were standing behind Zeke. However, they looked just as shocked and frightened as Hange herself felt.

“No, those idiots weren’t the ones who told me,” Zeke said nonchalantly. “Although, they will pay for that later. Now, Professor Hange, have you already guessed how I found out? Or are you not as smart as they say?”

“Security cameras,” Hange said quietly, as it finally dawned on her.

“Exactly,” Zeke agreed. “I’ve got cameras everywhere. Well, not quite everywhere, the only place, where there are no cameras, is here,” he gestured around the lab. “So if you and your partners in crime didn’t plan your escape in the middle of a goddamn corridor, I would have never suspected a thing.”

Hange just stared at Zeke. She couldn’t believe how naïve and stupid she was. She didn’t even think about it, she was so sure in herself that she didn’t even stop to think about possibility that Zeke knows more than he lets on.

“If you knew about everything, then why didn’t you stop me? Why didn’t you tell me before like you did with Levi?”

Zeke chuckled. “For the same reason I told him about my suspicions – I was curious what you will do. Now what exactly did you put in that thing?” Zeke gestured towards the container with Hange’s compound. “Of course, you don’t have to tell me. I’m sure that I’ll see its effects on your dear lover Levi. Oh, I forgot to tell you, by the way. That switch doesn’t work anymore. Whatever you wanted to poison me with, now will happen to him.”

Hange immediately surged forward, trying to get to Levi. The room, where he was sitting, was much smaller and there was less oxygen. She didn’t know how long she was talking with Zeke but she was sure Levi didn’t have much time left. She needed to get to him, _now._

However, before she could make her first step, Zeke stopped her. His hand grabbed her wrist, Hange thrashed, trying to free herself. She almost succeeded but then Zeke’s lackeys came closer and gripped her shoulders, capturing her in a tight hold.

“Judging by your desperate struggles to run to him, your plan was undoubtedly wicked,” Zeke smiled with malice. “I'm impressed, actually. I didn't know you could be so vicious. Oh, I’m so excited to see what will happen to him!”

“Please,” Hange said hopelessly. “I’ll do whatever you ask of me, just _please_ let him go.”

“Oh no,” Zeke laughed. “You’ve defied me again and again, Hange Zoe. You’ll still do whatever I ask of you, don’t worry. But before that you will _pay_.”

Hange looked at Levi. Even from another room she could see that he already had difficulty breathing, his chest was heaving and he was gasping for air. Hange quickly turned away, tears forming in her eyes. She didn’t need to look to know what will happen next. Soon, _so very soon,_ Levi will lose his consciousness due to hypoxia. He had five minutes or less before his brain would die.

Hange had never felt so desperate before, right in front of her eyes, the person, whom she loved, was dying. And there was _nothing_ she could do, she knew it was pointless to bargain with Zeke. All she could do now was to helplessly watch as life was slowly leaving Levi’s body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh no!!!! how will levi and hange get out of this??  
> will they even be able to?  
> find the answers to these questions in the next chapter ;)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the 104th kids' shenanigans!

Jean hated his fucking job. Right now, sitting between bickering Sasha and Connie, he couldn't even begin to understand why he even decided to join Erwin Smith's organization.

Well, that was not completely true - he knows why he decided to join. Jean still remembers how he had taken one look at Erwin Smith and thought to himself - yeah, that's a man who can change the world. And for some idiotic reason Jean decided that he wanted to be a part of it. A lot of good it did him.

Jean respected Director Erwin, _admired him_ , he was smart, collected and charismatic, he was exactly the type of person Jean aspired to be. But he was so damn secretive, it was pissing Jean off. Sure, he told Jean and his team what they had to do in great details - they had to pretend that Captain Levi was their enemy and Jean and Mikasa had to escort him to some douche's house and then they had to hide in the forest and wait for Captain Levi to signal them when it was their time to attack the house. All of it sounded easy enough and _maybe_ it was easy, but Jean had so many questions. For example, why did the douche have the same surname as Eren? And why did he call him a brother? Was he really his brother and if that was true, why did Director Erwin forbid Jean and Mikasa from telling it to Eren? And most importantly, why did they have to save Captain Levi? Why did they have to give him to the enemy in the first place? Jean knew there was some scientist involved but he couldn't even begin to understand who she was and what role she played in this whole mess. There were too many questions plaguing Jean's mind and Director Erwin refused to answer any of them.

And maybe Jean would be more or less satisfied with not knowing the answers if it weren't for one fact. Annie, the angry little blonde, who joined them just a month ago and who beat Jean's ass in the each sparing they had, was actually a traitor. And while Jean didn't completely understand who she worked for and what exactly she revealed to the enemy, he knew one thing - it made these three days in forest a living hell for Jean.

Because Mikasa was angry, and while, yeah, Jean perfectly understood why (no matter how annoying or scary Annie was, Jean also considered her a comrade anda friend), he really didn't enjoy Mikasa's death glares. She reminded him to much of Captain Levi and that thought unnerved him more that Jean was willing to admit. There was also Eren, that fucking idiot, who was certain that Annie couldn't be a traitor, and so he was constantly bothering everyone, trying to convince them that Annie was actually their friend. And, of course, his constant blabbering was getting on Mikasa’a nerves. That’s why she was so angry all the time. Unfortunately, for some reason she didn't get angry with Eren, but instead with literally anyone else. She was annoyed even with Jean and he had done nothing wrong! It was not his fault that Eren was an idiot, right?

Also while Mikasa was busy being furious and Eren was too occupied with being his usual idiotic self, no one noticed how sad Armin was. Sure, the kid was always quiet and thoughtful, but usually there was a small smile on his face, especially when he was with his friends. But now that smile was gone and his gaze was distant, his expression saddened and Jean's heart broke every time he looked at him.

He tried to cheer him up a few times, but whenever Jean told him a joke or pointed at Sasha and Connie, who were fooling around, Armin just gave him an obviously fake smile and then returned to his thoughts.

Jean honestly didn't want to know what Armin was going through, because, yeah, maybe his crush was in love with Eren fucking Yeager, but at least she wasn't a traitor. Small mercies and all that, right?

So, yeah, these three days were quite stressful to Jean. _To put it lightly_. The only people he could talk with were Sasha and Connie. He could even tolerate their stupid bickering. Well, he could tolerate them and this whole situation if right now across from them didn’t sit Eren. And Mikasa's head was on his shoulder as she was asleep despite all the noise Sasha and Connie were making. And Eren, that fucking asshole, was smirking at him. If Mikasa wasn't currently asleep on his shoulder, Jean would have punched him, his hands were practically itching to do so.

He couldn't understand what Mikasa had found in that guy. He was loud, he was stupid, _he wasn't even half as handsome as Jean was_. So why, why was she so obsessed with the guy? Half of the time he didn't even appreciate all of Mikasa's attention.

Ah, well, maybe one day Mikasa would finally open her eyes and realize that Eren didn't deserve her love. She would forget about him and Jean would be there to fill the hole in her heart. Although, looking at Mikasa's soft smile that appeared even in her sleep, Jean began to doubt that this scenario would ever play out. But he could always hope, right?

When they finally received a message from Captain Levi that their assault would begin in the noon of the next day, Jean was ready to cry from relief. Whatever was awaiting them inside that house, it couldn't possibly be as bad as these three days.

* * *

They entered the house at precisely twelve o'clock. They all had memorized the map that Director Erwin had provided them with, but there was one problem - the map showed that the house had only two floors but once Jean and his team entered the building, they found out there was also a cellar.

They weren't sure where they should look for Captain Levi, he was signaling them from the second floor, but was he still there? So it was decided to split in pairs and search through each floor.

Of course, Sasha and Connie wanted to go together. Which was very unfortunate for Jean, because he got paired with Eren (he was really hoping he and Mikasa would go together, so in case Mikasa would need _someone_ to rescue her, Jean could be her knight in shining armor). However, Mikasa chose to go with Armin. Maybe, she did notice the state he was in after all and it wasn't like Jean could actually argue with Mikasa’s decision, right? If she wanted to go with Armin, then she would go with Armin, even if it meant that Jean had to go with Eren. 

Even worst than being paired with Eren was the fact that both of them had to check the fucking cellar. They didn't have a map of the place and they had no idea what was there. Jean really hoped it wasn't some weird sexy dungeon. It was the last place where he wanted to get stuck with Eren. Although, no, scratch that, there was no such place where he would want to be stuck with Eren.

"Be careful," Mikasa said when Jean and Eren were ready to start their search.

At the sound of Mikasa's voice, Jean whipped his head around to stare at her. She was looking at Eren (of course), but when Jean turned around, Mikasa looked him right in the eyes. Jean's heart began to frantically beat in his chest as Mikasa continued to stare at him. She was probably trying to tell him to look out for Eren, since she wasn't going with him. That was probably the case, but Jean still couldn't look away from Mikasa's beautiful eyes.

Jean tried to keep his cool and not blush like a goddamn loser. Eren's loud snort told him he wasn't as successful as he hoped. Fucking Eren, if Mikasa wasn't still looking at him, he would surely have punched him or at least called him an asshole. But then Mikasa would get angry at him and he really _really_ didn't want that.

"Oi, Jean," Eren said and Jean could hear his smirk without even looking in his direction. "We have a mission, remember?"

Jean barely resisted the urge to groan at the annoying asshole. "Let's fucking go then," he grabbed Eren's sleeve and started dragging him along with him.

"Call us if you find Captain Levi!" Eren shouted to Armin and Mikasa. Then he tore his arm away from Jean's hold.

Jean muttered under his breath. He couldn't wait for this mission to finally end.

* * *

Jean really thought it was just a normal cellar. Maybe used to store some wine barrels or some other shit rich people usually stuffed in their houses. Instead they saw a dark corridor and a long stairwell.

"After you," Jean said as he pushed Eren forward.

Eren turned away to glare at him but when Jean just gave him his favorite arrogant smirk, he rolled his eyes and began descending into the darkness. As they were slowly making their way down, Jean thought he saw some movement. He put his hand on Eren's shoulder to stop him from moving and then took out his flashlight. When he turned it on and directed the light further down, Jean saw a dark figure that was also walking down the stairs. The figure was walking faster than them and when Jean looked at the stranger closely, he saw a very familiar blonde hair.

"Oi, Annie!" He called to her. The figure immediately spun around, confirming that it indeed was Annie.

She even gave Jean her customary cold glare.

"Long time no see, yeah?" Jean chuckled, trying to look more cheerful and relaxed that he actually felt. Beneath his hand, which was still on Eren’s shoulder, he could feel how tense Eren was. He tried to break free from Jean's hold, but Jean tightened his grasp on him.

"Remember that she is our enemy." Jean whispered in his ear.

"She is not!" Eren protested loudly. "You didn't betray us, right, Annie? It was just a lie, yes?"

Down below, Annie scoffed. "Don't be an idiot, Eren." Then she directed her gaze at Jean. "What are you doing here?"

"What, you didn't manage to get that out of Armin?"

Even in the darkness and from the distance, Jean noticed how Annie flinched. So he managed to strike a nerve, huh. Who would have thought that even cold Annie had feelings.

"We came here to rescue Captain Levi!"

Jesus Christ, why was Jean paired with the biggest idiot in the world? Jean cursed and pushed Eren. He hoped that Eren would fall and break his neck, but unfortunately the asshole managed to keep his balance.

"Since, _thanks to Eren_ ,” Jean glared at the boy in question. “You've found about our plans, don't you want to share yours?" Jean asked.

Annie shrugged. "I might as well. I need to steal something from Zeke. He is in the laboratory, down these stairs. I think your Captain Levi might also be here."

"Let's combine our forces then!" Eren exclaimed excitedly.

"If you wouldn't get in my way, than sure, the more, the merrier. Do you agree, Kirshtein?" She leveled Jean with a look.

Suddenly, Jean remembered all the times Annie had kicked his ass during training. In explicitly vivid details. But he refused to be intimidated.

"Let’s hope _you_ wouldn't get in _our_ way," he said and resumed walking.

"By the way, you're lucky it was us who found you and not Mikasa," Jean told Annie when he caught up to her. "She would have torn you to pieces." He added with pride in his voice.

To Jean's shock, Annie chuckled. He was sure that he had never heard her doing that. "I bet she was furious when she found out I betrayed all of you."

"So you really betrayed us?" Eren's voice was a mix of surprise and disappointment.

Both Jean and Annie decided to ignore him.

"Of course, she was furious. You broke poor Armin's heart." Jean tried to keep his voice light, but then he remembered Armin’s sad face and his emotions got the best of him.

"He hates me?" Annie’s voice was as cold and rough as usual, but something was off. Maybe Jean just imagined it, but he could hear a slight tremble. He turned to glance at Eren to see if he was the only one who heard it. Eren looked at him back, confusion written all over his face. So, Jean didn’t imagine Annie’s weird reaction.

"I don't know." Jean told her honestly. "I think you should ask him that."

"Do you think he still wants to talk with me?" Whatever Jean heard in Annie's voice before, now was gone. However, the way she purposefully walked in front of them and hid her face in the darkness told Jean more than Annie’s words.

"Maybe he does," Jean shrugged. "If you're lucky."

Annie just nodded, still not looking at neither of them. They made the rest of their way in silence.

* * *

A big metal door was awaiting them at the end of a staircase. Before Annie could reach out and open it, Jean interfered. He came to stand in front of the door, crossing his arms on the chest. Something in Annie's words didn't add up and as much as Jean wanted to forget about her betrayal and work as a team, he still couldn't trust her. Not until she explained herself at least.

"You said you wanted to steal something from Zeke. Why? Weren't you working for him?"

"I was," Annie confirmed. "I'm not anymore."

" _Why_?" Jean pressed on.

Annie also put the hands on her chest and looked up at Jean, her gaze heavy and hard. Even though, she was shorter that Jean by more than a head, she still managed to look intimidating.

"I worked for him because I needed money. And since I doubt he'll need my services again, I need to find that money elsewhere."

"What do you need money for? And what exactly do you intend to steal from him?"

Annie leveled him with another murderous look. Jean felt the shivers ran down his spine. "My father is ill." She said in the same cold voice. Jean suddenly felt like the biggest asshole in the world. He probably… well, he probably shouldn't have asked that.

"Oh..." Jean said awkwardly. "Ah, I… I am so sorry, Annie."

"Don't be. It's not your fault." 

Suddenly Eren pushed Jean aside and came to stand in front of Annie.

"You still haven't told us what you intend to steal." He said to Annie, pointing an accusing finger at her.

Annie's eyes slightly widened. "You really don't know?"

"We don't know _what_?" Jean was getting tired of this.

"You are going there to get Levi Ackerman back, but you don't know why he had come here?"

Both Jean and Eren shook their heads.

"There is a scientist, Hange Zoe, she created some formula. Wasn't that what Erwin Smith is after?"

"Um, yeah, maybe?" Jean awkwardly scratched his head. "We don't really know."

"Yeah, he doesn't tell us that kind of stuff." Eren agreed.

"Well, it doesn't matter. This formula is definitely worth a lot of money and I want to sell it. You don't need it?" Annie asked again, just to be sure.

"No," Eren shook his head. "We came only for Captain Levi."

"You wouldn't get in my way then." Annie concluded. She stepped past Eren and touched the door handle. Then she turned around to look at Eren and Jean.

"Zeke is probably with his guards. I don't how many of them are there, but if you see a blonde guy and a really tall brunette, don't shoot at them, okay?"

"What, are they your friends?" Jean joked.

Annie glared at him. "Don't touch them." She repeated and then finally opened the door.

* * *

After opening the door, Jean, Eren and Annie saw a long corridor with pristine white walls. The three of them simultaneously stopped to survey their surroundings. The place held a variety of different machines and devices. Most of them looked so bizarre, Jean couldn't even begin to understand their purpose. However, they didn't come here to gawk at the strange machinery.

Jean looked further, to the end of the corridor. There he could see a wide room. There were some people there, Jean could even hear their voices, but they were low enough that he couldn't decipher what exactly they were saying. Thankfully, due to whatever that was going on there, the people in the room didn't even notice that Jean, Eren and Annie had entered.

Looking at Eren and Annie, Jean slightly nodded and then the three of them began to quietly make their way towards that room.

As they came closer and closer, the voices became louder. Suddenly, Jean heard a woman’s scream. His jaw clenched in anger and he hurried his steps. He may be an asshole sometimes, but even he was a gentleman and he couldn’t stand it when women were hurting.

All eyes turned to them as Jean, Eren and Annie made their way to the center of the room. There were six people in the room – Zeke, whom Jean recognized from earlier, two of his guards, who were restricting a woman in a white lab coat and glasses; was she the scientist Annie was talking about? In the far corner Jean saw two guys – a blonde and brunette. So that's how Annie's friends looked like, huh? 

While everyone was busy gawking at them, the woman, whose scream Jean heard before, tried to use their arrival as a distraction and free herself from the hold two burly men had on her. She surged forward, but the men didn't let go of her and only tightened their grasp on her shoulders. Zeke watched her struggle with an amused smile. When he was sure that the woman was once again secured, he turned to look at the unexpected visitors.

"My dear Annie!" He gestured widely with his hands. "Your arrival is a bit sudden, but it's always a pleasure to see you!" He gave Annie a smile and then his eyes locked on Eren. Jean suddenly remembered that they shouldn't have even mentioned Zeke to Eren, let alone let him meet with his half-brother. Shit, it looked like Jean really screwed up this time.

"Eren!" Zeke made a step towards them. But before he could move any closer or say anything else, Annie swiftly took out her gun and shot him right in the head. He fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"Well, that's been quite anticlimactic," Jean managed to say, before Zeke's guards took out their own guns and started shooting at them.

One bullet flew right next to Jean and would have hit him if he wasn't quick enough to cover. Jean raised his hand and aimed at one of the guards. He shot and the bullet hit the man in his chest. He started to slowly descend onto the floor. The woman he was holding, immediately shot up and started running. Jean watched where she was headed. And only then he noticed another room. It was entirely see-through with its walls made of glass. So Jean could clearly see a figure slumped in their sit. A figure looked a lot like Captain Levi. Trusting that Eren and Annie would deal with the remaining guard, Jean hurried after that woman, he didn't know her and he didn't know if he could trust her with Captain's safety.

As Jean finally caught up to the mysterious woman, she took Captain into her arms and carried him out of the room. She laid him on the floor and undid two buttons on his shirt. Even from a distance, Jean could see how her hands trembled when she tried to check Captain's pulse. So, she clearly wasn't an enemy. Good, Jean really didn't want to harm her. Despite their uncertain situation, the woman looked like Jean could trust her and he was glad to found out that he was right.

He kneeled next to the Captain's suspiciously still body. As hard as he tried, Jean couldn't see the movement of his chest. The woman in glasses paid no mind to Jean as she focused the entirety of her attention on Captain.

"Shit, Levi, don’t you dare do this to me," she whispered as she laid her hands on his chest, preparing for CPR.

Suddenly, she whipped her head around, looking at Jean. "Close that goddamn door!" She shouted and pointed to the door of the room she carried Captain Levi from. Eren stumbled to his knees and ran up to do as the woman told them. Jean didn't even notice that he was sitting right next to him.

Woman’s hands trembled and tears began to form behind her glasses. Before she could begin the heart massage, Captain Levi suddenly gasped. The woman’s eyes widened. She looked at Captain closely, her posture tense and her breathing labored. When Captain’s eyes opened, she exhaled shakily and began to laugh. Her laughter was mixed with sobs.

"Levi, you fucking asshole." She tightly clutched Captain's shirt in her fist. "You scared me to death!"

"You're too loud, four eyes," Captain Levi grumbled. His voice was low and hoarse.

The woman raised her head. She put her hands onto Captain's cheeks and looked him deep into the eyes. "Are you sure you're alright, Levi? I almost thought I lost you."

"I'm fine, Hange, don't worry." Captain replied, leaning into her touch.

The strange woman, or _Hange_ , as Captain called her, nodded and laid her head onto Captain's chest. Jean watched in shock as Captain's arm immediately tangled in her hair and began to gently comb through it. He had never witnessed Captain being that soft with anybody. Just who this woman was?

"Oh my god, Levi, I’m so sorry, I shouldn't have done it... You could have died..." Hange’s voice was muffled by Captain’s shirt, but Jean could still hear that she was crying.

"It's fine, Hange, I'm alive and so are you."

"You are not angry with me?" The woman asked tentatively, slowly raising her head and looking at Captain cautiously. "The things you said back there..."

"I told you I would never forgive you if you put _your_ life in danger. I’m actually glad it was me, who nearly died and not you. Although, I still think you are the biggest fucking idiot, Hange."

"I'll try to remember that," Hange chuckled.

"No, you won't," the Captain signed.

Then he finally noticed Eren and Jean who were watching the scene with equal part shock and amusement. The Captain looked and behaved like he was... Like he was _in love_? Jean was sure he had never seen Captain looking so soft and acting so gentle towards someone. He honestly never knew Captain was even capable of expressing such tender emotions. He was always either completely disinterested in everything, a look of total boredom painting his features, or he was so annoyed with everyone and everything that Jean was scared to even look in his direction. But seeing him like this, Jean understood that Captain was a breathing living human just as the rest of them and he also had his own feelings and emotions.

"You two," Captain nodded towards Jean and Eren. The woman also turned to look at them. She cocked her head to the side, studying them with curiosity. "You saved my ass, so thank you." Captain Levi told them earnestly.

It was probably a trick of his imagination, but Jean thought that Captain was smiling. Well, he for sure didn't look as grumpy as usually. Jean wondered if the others would believe him if he told them that he saw Captain Levi’s smile.

"We only did our duty, Captain!" Eren answered proudly. Jean rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"I also want to thank you," Hange told them with a kind and gentle smile. She took her hands away from Captain and placed her palms on both Eren's and Jean's shoulders. Her eyes were red from tears and her hair was disheveled, but Jean still couldn't look away from her. She wasn't beautiful, not like Mikasa was, but there was something about her, something _unique_ that made her appearance so captivating. "If it weren't for you two, I would never get to that shorty in time."

"It's nothing, miss..." Jean felt so flustered he couldn't even finish that sentence.

The woman threw her head and began to laugh, making Jean's ears burn with embarrassment. Even worse than that, he could hear Eren’s snickering beside him.

"Please, call me Hange," the woman said when her laughter had ceased.

"Alright, Hange," Jean smiled and tried to sound more confident than he felt. "Do you need any help?"

Hange glanced at Levi.

"Regroup with the others," Captain ordered. "We will join you soon."

Jean and Eren nodded and got up from the floor.

Only when they began walking away from Captain and Hange, did Jean remember about Annie.

"Where is Annie?" He asked Eren, looking around. The lab was empty, no sign of Annie or her two friends.

Eren shrugged. "She probably left while we were distracted."

"Do you think she found what she wanted?"

"Who knows?" Eren answered. "Do you think she will come back?"

"Who knows?" Jean repeated.

When they reached the door, he threw one final look at the lab. At the end of the corridor, he could see that Captain wasn't laying down anymore, although he was still sitting on the floor. He and Hange were embracing each other tightly. Jean quickly averted his eyes, he probably shouldn't have seen that. He turned around and opened the door, letting Eren go first. Then he followed after him, closing the door behind himself and letting Captain and his beloved have some needed privacy.

As they were climbing the stairs, Eren tilted his head towards Jean.

“Oi, Jean, have you heard what that man in the glasses had said? Before Annie killed him? He… he called me by my name, didn’t he?”

Shit, so Eren did notice that. Jean frantically thought what he should do. He had two options: either tell Eren the truth, or lie to him. And Jean didn’t know which one he should choose. Whoever the man was, maybe he really was Eren’s brother, didn’t Eren deserve to know about his existence? On the other hand, though, he was already dead, so what was the point of telling Eren at all? After a moment of thinking, Jean decided that it wasn’t his secret to keep.

“Maybe, Captain told him something about you, I don’t know.” Jean shrugged and hoped that Eren would believe this lie. For a second Eren stared at the floor, deep in thought. However, when he raised his head again, there was an obnoxious smirk on his face. Jean felt the tension leave his body. Maybe Eren was a moron and he irritated Jean all the time, but he still was his friend and Jean actually kinda cared for him. Not that he would never admit it to Eren, of course.

"Hey,” Eren lightly punched Jean’s arm. “Who do you think this woman was? Captain's girlfriend?" Eren snickered.

"Looks like it," Jean said.

“Well, Captain got lucky then. She seems nice."

"Yeah," Jean agreed, remembering the woman's sweet smile and kind eyes. "Although, you shouldn't go around talking about her," Jean warned him. "Captain can still kick your ass. By the way," Jean stopped at the very end of a staircase and turned to Eren. "There’s another thing about Annie... Do you think we should tell Armin about her?"

Eren scratched his head. "I'm not sure... I don't think we should? I mean if Annie comes back, then she'll explain everything to Armin herself. However, if we will tell him that she returned and didn't stick around to see him, I think it will upset him even more."

"Today is the day of surprises. Firstly, Captain gets himself s girlfriend and now you say something actually clever?"

Jean smirked arrogantly at Eren. He stepped to the side, easily dodging Eren's attempt to punch him.

"You're such an asshole, Kirschtein." He mumbled and then pushed Jean aside, exiting the cellar. Jean followed after him. As soon as he appeared in the room, Sasha and Connie launched themselves on him, nearly suffocating Jean in their tight embrace.

"We were so worried, man!" Connie exclaimed. "You were gone for forever!"

"And you didn't think to look for us?" Jean asked, although he was touched by their worry.

"We were ready to do that!" Sasha shouted, squeezing Jean even tighter.

"Guys, it's getting hard to breathe," Jean told them, however he made no move to get out of their embrace. Sometimes Sasha and Connie acted like idiots and most of the time Jean felt like he was hanging out with actual children, but they still were Jean's best friends and he was relieved to know that they also were fine.

They hugged for another long moment and then Sasha and Connie finally let him go.

"Oh my god!" Sasha screamed as she took a good look on Jean. "Jean, you're wounded!"

Her words took Jean by surprise. He was wounded? Where? And then he remembered how the bullet flew right past him. Jean carefully touched his cheek and his fingers came away covered in blood. Huh, he completely forgot about it.

"It's just a scratch, Sasha, don't worry," Jean smiled and extended his hand to ruffle Sasha's hair. Before he was able to do so, Mikasa came to stand in front of him with an angry look on her face. Jean frantically tried to remember what he managed to do wrong this time. Eren wasn't harmed, right?

Mikasa took Jean's chin in her hand and studied his wound. And Jean forgot how to breathe. She was so close, she probably could hear how loud his heart was beating.

"The wound seems clean enough. And it doesn't need stitches." Mikasa finally declared and let go of Jean's chin. Jean finally could breathe again.

"Wait a second, I have patches in my bag," Mikasa rummaged through her satchel for a moment and then took out a patch. She got close to Jean again and got a hold of his cheek, turning his head slightly so she could have a better access.

Her hands were warm and gentle and Jean wondered briefly: did he die back in that lab? Was he in heaven now? A quick glance to his left proved him wrong. Yeager was still there, so, nope, Jean definitely wasn't in heaven. Eren was looking at them closely, and was Jean imagining it or was there envy in his eyes? Either way, it was very hard for him to resist sticking his tongue at Eren.

In the meanwhile, Mikasa finished putting a patch on Jean's cheek.

"There you go," she said. "Now it won't get infected."

Looking down at Mikasa, Jean was having problems stopping himself from declaring his undying love towards her. But his heart probably wouldn't be able to survive the rejection. So he decided to just thank Mikasa without making an utter idiot of himself. They already had Yeager, their little team didn’t need another awkward fool.

"Thank you," he said quietly and hoped his voice didn’t sound too strained.

"You are welcome." Mikasa answered with a small smile. She turned around and walked back to Eren. And just like that, Jean's fantasy was destroyed and he returned to the real world.

"Hey, guys," Armin spoke up. "Did you manage to find Captain Levi?"

"Yeah," Jean replied. "He will join us soon."

And then Jean put his hands around Sasha's and Connie's shoulder, beckoning them to the front door. Once he was outside, Jean took a deep breath, bringing his friends closer and inhaling the fresh air.

 _Finally_ , he thought with immense satisfaction, his mission was finally over.


	13. Epilogue

Hange tightly clutched the gun in her hands. There was another mark somewhere, but she couldn't find it.

"Aim just a little to the left." Levi whispered right into her ear. He put his hands on her waist, to correct her posture. Trying not to get too distracted by his closeness and the warmth of his hands, Hange followed Levi’s instructions and finally saw her mark. It took her a second to aim and then she fired. The bullet hit the bull’s eye. She put her gun down and then spun around, beaming at Levi triumphantly.

"Another headshot!" She exclaimed, putting her hands on his shoulder, bringing him even closer. Her hands began to play with the strands of his hair. "I hit all the ten marks, Levi! Am I not amazing?"

"You were fine." Levi grumbled, rolling his eyes.

Hange's smile disappeared and a pout took its place.

"Just _fine_?" She argued. "But I did everything perfectly!"

"It's one thing to do it here, but you need to be prepared for the real missions and real threats."

"But I am ready!" Hange whined.

"Erwin doesn't think so."

" _Erwin_ doesn't think so?" Hange asked, looking at Levi closely. "Or _you_ don't think so? I know you've been trying to stop him from giving me my first mission."

Levi looked away, admitting that Hange had caught him. "I just worry about you. Is that so wrong?"

"It's not wrong," Hange leaned down and gave Levi a kiss. Then she turned her attention to Levi's jaw, leaving a trail of kisses there. "It's even cute. But you can't protect me all the time. I know how to handle myself."

Levi closed his eyes, enjoying Hange's kisses. "I know. I'll try to be less protective, I promise."

"Thank you," Hange whispered right into his lips. Then she straightened and smirked. "So when I will be ready for my first mission?"

Levi thought about it. Hange was working for Erwin for three months now. Usually she was involved in various experiments, trying to invent new and modify their existing weapons. But for the last month Hange was pestering both Levi and Erwin, trying to persuade them into sending her on a field. If Levi could have his way, Hange would never have to go on the missions. He was completely content with her staying in her lab, where he was sure she was safe. Although, sometimes Hange's experiment tended to run a bit wild, so even there she wasn't completely out of harm’s way. However, Levi also couldn't help but admit that Hange was strong and more than capable. She was ready to participate in the missions and Levi had no right to keep her out of it. So, whether he liked it or not, he had to let Hange go.

"A month of the same intense training and you'll be ready." He declared finally.

" _A month_?" Hange squealed. "You have an impossibly high standards, _agent_."

"How many times have I told not to call me that?"

“A hundred or a thousand times, I wasn’t keeping count,” Hange smirked. When Levi just looked at her with annoyance clear on his face, she signed. "Fine, fine," Hange conceded. "Do you prefer Captain then? I heard kids call you that."

"They call me that because I’m the leader of their team. And the last time I checked you had your own team with your little group of scientists."

"But don't you want me calling you that in bedroom? Just imagine." Hange tossed her head back and moaned loudly. "Oh Captain, my Captain!"

Who knows what Hange would have done next, or what Levi would have done _to her_ , if they haven't heard an awkward cough. Both of them turned around to look at its source.

"With all due respect," Moblit told them in a strained voice. "But I'm also trying to train here."

Oh right, Levi completely forgot about Moblit's presence. Well, Hange tended to do that to him, making him forget about everything that was going on around him. Next to him, Hange began to laugh.

"I'm sorry, Moblit!" She managed to say between her giggles.

Levi just rolled his eyes and grabbed Hange's hand, taking her to a more secluded area of a shooting range.

Once he found a dark corner, a good distance away from Moblit, Levi pressed Hange against the wall, attacking her mouth with his.

"So me calling you a Captain does turn you on?" Hange asked after they broke apart.

"Shut the fuck up, Hange," Levi growled.

Hange smirked at him and fixed the glasses on her nose. She stared at Levi with hungry eyes. "Make me," she whispered.

And really, Levi thought, taking off Hange’s glasses and putting them in his pocket, he had no choice but to oblige.

He kissed her on the lips and then slowly moved to her neck. As he was sucking on that sensitive spot, Hange let out a moan.

"Oh, I love when you do that..." She whispered. She was panting hard and Levi was enjoying Hange's reaction.

"And I love you," he said quietly, breaking away from Hange for a moment to admire the view. Hange’s hair was already a mess and her lips were swollen. Then Levi wanted to resume his task, that task being driving Hange mad with his mouth. Before he could that, though, Hange put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him away. Not expecting that, Levi looked at her in confusion.

"What did you just say?" Hange asked him with wide eyes.

"Um, that I love you?" Levi replied confusedly. Did he say the wrong thing?

"You do?" Hange asked in the same disbelieving voice.

"Yes?" Levi replied slowly, still not understanding her reaction. "Didn't you know that?"

"Well, I suspected..." Hange began. A blush appeared on her face. Unbelievable, Levi thought. This woman could say the dirtiest things to him without any embarrassment but now she was a blushing like a damn maiden just because he told her that he loved her?

"Hange, we've been dating for four months now."

"I know!" Hange exclaimed. "But you've never said it before. Oh my god!" Hange suddenly clasped her hands in delight. "You were the one who confessed first! Levi, _you big sap_."

And now Levi was one who was getting embarrassed. "Whatever," he mumbled. "Don't you want to say it back?"

Hange got close to him again. "Oh, but I don't love you, Levi," she whispered in his ear. Levi tensed upon hearing her words. Hange didn't love him? "I adore you!" Hange finished loudly and then kissed him on the cheek. She withdrew to look at Levi and saw the look of panic in his eyes.

"Oh my god, Levi, don't tell me you were worried! How could not know that I love you? I even put up with your stupid obsession with cleaning!"

Levi slowly came back from his daze. And got rightfully annoyed with Hange.

"You are the one talking, four eyes. If it weren't for me, you would take a shower only once a week."

"Yeah, yeah, we all have our vices," Hange gently bumped her forehead against Levi's. Her hand reached out to his and she grasped it, interviewing their fingers. Her another hand came to rest on Levi's cheek, her thumb began to gently caress his skin. "But you still love me, you big sap."

"Yeah, I guess I do," Levi replied, basking in Hange's warm presence.

As he looked into Hange's eyes, Levi remembered how lonely he was until he met her. Levi had never had a real home, always thought he didn't need one. But then Hange waltzed into his life, turned it around and made everything so much better. She made Levi happy and he was getting happier with each moment he spent next to her. Hange made him feel at peace. She was his best friend and his soul mate. After Levi met Hange he finally found what a real home felt like, even if for him the home was a person. Levi honestly couldn't imagine his life without Hange and he could only hope that their long journey had just begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i can't believe this is actually the end!!  
> some parts were silly and other parts kinda garbage but!!!! i'm still very proud that i've finished it!!  
> ALSO huge thanks to anyone who had left kudos and especially huge thanks to those folks who had left comments!!!  
> i've absolutely loved every single one of your reviews and to read your thoughts and feelings about my story was utterly delightful!!!!


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